Back to School: Comparing School-Based and Private Speech Therapy for Your Child’s Success
It's that time of year again!
We are all frantically changing our schedules and helping our children prepare for the big changes as they enter a new class. We hope everyone has an amazing school year filled with new friendships, learning, and caring and passionate educators!
We wanted to take this time to discuss the difference between school-based and private speech therapy. Both service delivery models offer unique advantages when it comes to treating children with speech and language disorders, and it’s important to understand the differences when considering what setting is the best fit for your child.
School-Based Speech Therapy Services
School-based speech therapy falls under special education. Services are provided to children who meet eligibility criteria for a speech/language disorder, as determined by an evaluation conducted by the school’s Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).
Pros:
Accessibility: All speech/language services, including evaluations, are conducted for free regardless of what district you belong to. Your child, if identified to have an impairment that negatively affects their academic or functional performance, is entitled to the services they need to make progress in their current school programming.
Convenience: Speech sessions take place during the school day, eliminating the need for additional travel or scheduling.
Group Sessions: Speech is provided in a group setting, typically consisting of two to four students, and children are often highly motivated by their peers.
Collaboration with Educators: School therapists work closely with teachers to determine and address speech/language difficulties in the classroom and throughout the school day.
Cons:
Eligibility Requirements: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has specific eligibility criteria children must meet in order to receive school-based services, which can make it difficult for some children to qualify. A child may present with a communication disorder yet not be eligible for services.
Group Sessions: While group sessions may be motivating, they also limit the amount of direct treatment given to each child. Sessions may also be provided in the classroom or may be provided as an indirect service.
Limited Frequency: Sessions may be less frequent, as therapists have high caseloads and limited time.
School Breaks: Services are only provided during the school year, which means your child will not receive speech therapy during Winter, Spring, or Summer break. Some children may qualify for extended school year services if they demonstrate regression over school breaks, or "ESY".
Private Speech Therapy Services
Private speech therapy typically takes place at a clinic and considers both the academic and medical implications of communication disorders.
Pros:
Individualized Attention: Therapy is provided one-on-one, which enables the therapist to provide your child with undivided attention. This is especially important for children who have articulation impairments and/or apraxia of speech who need to meet a high number of practice trials during a session. Much of our research supports a minimum of 50 practice trials of a target per session in order to make adequate progress. In a school-based group, it may take many years to make the same amount of progress that a child can achieve in individual sessions.
Flexibility: Private therapists have more flexibility in their schedule and can offer more frequent sessions if necessary. Unlike in a public school where a formal meeting must be held to change a child's therapy plan, private settings can quickly address needs as the arise. For example, we might recommend frequent and intense sessions to teach a new skill, increasing to 3 sessions per week for a month, then tapering down to 1x week.
Communication with Families: Parents and caregivers are present for therapy sessions, which allows private therapists to provide regular updates and more detailed feedback. Caregiver involvement is essential to achieving ideal results.
Specialized training: In the private sector, you are able to shop for the therapist that is a perfect match for your child. At our clinic we work to match up each child's needs with the therapist that will be a good fit for them. If your child needs a therapist who is highly skilled in working with sensory needs, AAC, cleft palate, feeding, apraxia, etc., their school therapist might not have the same level of expertise, as they have to service a wide variety of needs.
Cons:
Cost: Weekly sessions can become expensive even with insurance coverage. Even with insurance, there is often an out of pocket expense when meeting deductibles or the out of pocket maximum. Not all insurances will cover the services that are needed, and the family may have to advocate for themselves which can be time-consuming.
Scheduling: Finding the right time for weekly sessions can be challenging, especially with busy family schedules.
Clinic-based: Not always provided in a "natural" environment and therapist/family need to ensure skills transfer to other settings/contexts. Often times we have extremely motivating items available in our sessions to teach skills. If that child learns a specific word to request that item, we need to make sure we are teaching the caregivers how to generalize the skills to the home setting.
School-based and private speech therapy are both great options for children with communication disorders. While one might be a better fit for your child than the other, a combination of both might be what best suits your child’s needs.
If you’re unsure about which option is best for your child or if you’re looking to enhance their current therapy, Milestones Matter Therapy is here to help. We look forward to collaborating with your child's school therapy team, reviewing your child's IEP to help you navigate the confusing process of school-based services, or providing services should your child not qualify for school-based services.