Axelman Speech, Language and Learning Group offers comprehensive clinical assessment, therapy intervention and consultation services for a wide range of speech and language concerns including:
Children and families reach our practice through a variety of referral sources. Some find their way to our door at the suggestion of a pediatrician, developmental pediatrician, family practice physician, psychologist, classroom teacher, friend or by self referral. Our therapists recognize that parents often approach that first step into intervention full of questions, uncertainty and worry. Our goal is to address your questions with accuracy and care and to put some of that worry to rest. Many of our therapists are parents, too, and realize how difficult it is to tackle a problem on your child's behalf. Professionals may directly refer one of their patients to the our practice by calling the office directly or through email to gaspeech@yahoo.com. Parents should check with their insurance company to see whether a physician's referral is required before an assessment can be scheduled.
Critical to the design of any intervention plan is establishing a clear understanding of the specific problems that need to be addressed. An initial conversation outlining the family's concerns is followed by a scheduled, individually designed comprehensive assessment battery. Evaluation sessions vary in length depending upon the nature of the problem, attention span or age of the child. While an assessment of disordered articulation patterns might be completed in a single shorter session, a layered assessment of a complex language disability might extend over several sessions and days. Our evaluation team appreciates that your child may have been tested in a different setting by other professionals. Earlier test results (completed within six months of new testing) will be taken into consideration as a treatment plan is shaped and whenever appropriate, an effort will be made not to duplicate testing procedures. Assessment results are communicated to parents in person. For an additional fee, families may select various types of written evaluation reports from brief summaries to extensive explanations with detailed recommendations for school based teams. At the direction of the family, these clinical reports can be directed to other professionals involved in the child's care.
Once a therapy plan has been created and discussed with the family, individual therapy sessions with a specific clinician are scheduled. These sessions are typically once or twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes, depending upon the recommendation of the clinician and the age of the child. The length of therapy and the number of sessions required to reach established goals varies, depending upon the progress and clinical needs of each child. When appropriate, parents are provided with materials for use at home, to reinforce strategies introduced during therapy sessions. Our therapists are committed to empowering and engaging parents in the intervention process and family discussions monitoring progress are an integral part of each child's treatment plan.