Getting Started

What to expect when scheduling an evaluation

Most therapy evaluations are scheduled by phone following a doctor or teacher recommendation for a speech/language, occupational, and/or physical therapy evaluation. When scheduling the evaluation, our scheduling coordinator will ask you a few questions about your child’s overall development as well as your concerns. Provide as much information as possible as this will assist the evaluating therapist to complete the most effective evaluation possible. Also, you will be informed about any paperwork that you may need to complete to confirm the evaluation appointment.

Arriving at your evaluation appointment

The major portion of your initial appointment involves completing the intake paperwork. Remember to bring your child’s pertinent medical records and insurance information to the evaluation appointment. Most likely, the therapist will have more in-depth questions for you to answer about your child’s development, behavior, and areas of challenge. All of this information will help your therapist understand your child’s current strengths and needs, and determine the specific testing to be completed.

The evaluation

At your child’s evaluation, the therapist will evaluate your child’s skills by asking your child a series questions and observing answers, and in the case of occupational and physical therapy they may be participating in physical activity. Each therapist has a different preference as to whether or not the parent should be present in the room with their child during the evaluation. This is because children will often look to their parents for answers, which will not give the therapist accurate information regarding your child’s skills. Please understand that your therapist is a trained professional whose main goal is to provide effective and accurate services for you and your child. Depending upon the type and amount of assessments completed, the evaluation process may last between thirty minutes to an hour and a half.

Assessment review

After your child has been evaluated, the therapist will need to score the assessment. Most evaluations can be scored quickly, but some may require some time and are unable to be completed at the time of the evaluation. Either way, your therapist should be able to give you a general idea of how your child performed on the assessment(s) as well as explain the difficulties your child might be encountering. At this time, the evaluating therapist might have recommendations for additional testing, which might require an outside referral. Your therapist will also review the potential treatment options for your child.

What if...

Many parents worry about their child’s behavior at their first appointment. It can be comforting to know that therapists are highly skilled at helping children feel comfortable and are accustomed to dealing with children who display various behaviors.

It is often helpful if your child does throw a tantrum or display some negative behaviors during the initial appointment. This may help the therapist observe the way your child communicates when upset or frustrated.

Remember, if your child is seeing a speech-language pathologist, physical, and/or occupational therapist for the first time, do not worry- you made a great decision. This is a difficult, but essential first step to improve your child’s developmental skills!