Speech therapy options

Birth to Three Services

Birth to Three is a federal program for early intervention special education, serving children under 3 years of age who have delays and/or disabilities.  The program has different names in different states.  In Wisconsin, the program is called Birth to Three.
and is administered at the county level.

Birth to Three provides service coordination, special education services, speech-language therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.  Other services may be provided depending on your child’s needs.

In Wisconsin, each county contracts with a provider to provide birth to three services. The out of pocket expense uses a Parental Cost Share System, which means families who are determined to be financially able to are expected to contribute towards the services.  Medicaid and private insurance will be billed.  Insurance co-pays and deductibles may apply.

Parents can refer their child by contacting their county’s Birth to Three office.  The county is based on where the child lives.  If the child attends daycare, the program may not where the child attends daycare.

Dodge County Birth to Three
Jefferson County Birth to Three
Milwaukee County Birth to Three
Waukesha County Birth to Three

Birth to Three services are typically provided in the home environment and daycare if the child attends full-time.  These services are provided year-round.

If a child is enrolled in Birth to Three, then around the age 2 years and 9 months the Birth to Three team will work in conjunction with your local public school district to determine if your child is eligible to continue with Early Childhood services.

Early Childhood services

These services are available at no cost to children ages 3-5 years through your local public school district.  If you’re not sure if your child will attend public, private, parochial, or home school, that’s okay.  Children are evaluated to determine if they met a disability category determined by the state.

If your child receives Birth to Three services, then your team will work with the local public school district to have your child evaluated so that if your child qualifies for Early Childhood services, then services could theoretically begin on your child’s third birthday.

These services typically follow the school year schedule of September to June.

To learn more about this program, contact your local public school district’s special education department with your concerns.

Typically a child receives these services at your local public school district, requiring you to take the child to the school for services.  Every school district is different.  Some school districts have traveling speech-language pathologist who go to your child’s daycare, if the child attends full-time and the daycare is in the same local pubic school district where the child lives.

School services

Kids who are in kindergarten and up can receive speech therapy services at their local public school. These services are available at no cost to families. These services typically follow the academic year and follow a timeline of events. It can take up to three months from requesting an evaluation to the start of therapy, should your child qualify. To access services, contact your child’s classroom teacher, who can help you through the process. Services are typically provided 1-2 times a week during the school year.

Outpatient clinics

Outpatient clinics, typically located at a hospital, are another resource for speech therapy services. Before you make an appointment, you’ll need check with your insurance provider to make sure that speech therapy is covered under your specific plan. Read the exclusions and definition of speech therapy to determine if habilitative and rehabilitative services are covered. Some plans only cover speech therapy due to an injury or an accident. Wait lists for speech-language evaluations may vary. In addition, you will need a referral from a physician for an evaluation. Services are typically once a week. Depending on your insurance plan’s coverage, families may still be responsible for co-pays and deductibles.

Private Practices

Private practices can provide stand alone services or services that supplement Birth To Three, Early Intervention, and school services. If a child does not qualify for school speech-language therapy, then a private speech therapy practice can provide services. Private practices can carry over school year services through the summer in order to keep the momentum moving forward with the progress made during the school year. Services are often 1-2 times a week.

Many private practices like SpeechWorks are out-of-network providers, meaning families pay for the services, then file the paperwork with the insurance company. The insurance company would then reimburse the family, if it is covered by the plan and if out-of-network deductibles are met. If you are looking to utilize your out of network insurance benefits, you will need a physician’s referral. Many private practices often accept flex saving account and health saving account payments.

SpeechWorks is a private practice based in Oconomowoc that helps children from toddlers to teens get the speech therapy they need. Services can be provided in-person or online. SpeechWorks has been providing online speech therapy services since 2014. A licensed speech-language pathologist can provide a formal evaluation and create a customized treatment plan that’s tailored to the unique needs of your child. If your child is receiving school year speech therapy services, then we can provide an informal assessment for their summer services. SpeechWorks’ goal is to create confident communicators.

To find a speech-language pathologist near you, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s ProFind.

Many speech-language therapy options are available in the community.  Kudos for researching the many speech-language therapy options for your child.