FAQs
Facilitating Language Development In Young Children: Suggestion for Parents
Speech, Occupational, Feeding and Myofunctional Therapy
What services do you provide?
See below for a brief overview of the services we offer. For further details, check out the “Services” tab.
- Speech Therapy works on your child’s ability to communicate with others effectively. A child might need speech therapy if they are not using words to communicate with others at home or in the community. If they do use words, peers and/or adults struggle to understand them. They often become frustrated or display negative behaviors due to their inability to effectively communicate.
- Occupational Therapy works on your child’s ability to perform daily activities, such as dressing themselves. Difficulties processing sensory information from their environment may result in negative behaviors and/or impact their ability to use fine motor skills to improve handwriting, color, play with others, etc.
- Feeding Therapy focuses on your child’s ability to consume a balanced and healthy diet. We often see picky eaters and/or children who are not gaining enough weight to sustain growth and development.
- Myofunctional Therapy focuses on your child’s ability to maintain proper resting tongue position. We often see children who have prolonged pacifier or bottle use and/or thumb sucking habits that has resulted in improper tongue position and development of the oral cavity. We focus on retraining the muscles to function properly for adequate breathing, swallowing, chewing, speech, etc.
How do I know that occupational therapy is what my child needs?
If you’re concerned about certain behaviors your child is exhibiting or difficulties they’re having, it may be difficult to determine if occupational therapy is what will be most helpful. In the case that you are unsure, an evaluation is always recommended.
Give us a call at (817) 764-3825 if you have any questions in regard to what we may be able to help you with. If occupational therapy is not needed, the therapist will send the appropriate referral to an outside professional that will better serve your child’s needs.
When should I be concerned about my child's speech development?
See below for a brief timeline of when your child should reach certain speech milestones.
- 12 months of age: Your child will say their first word and should soon after have 2-6 words in their vocabulary, other than “mama” and “dada.”
- 18 months: Your child should be saying approximately 50 words on a regular basis.
- 18-24 months: Your child will begin to combine words.
- 24-30 months: Your child should have 200-300 words in their vocabulary.
- 2 years: Your child should be 50% intelligible to an unknown listener.
- 3 years: your child should be using 3-word phrases and have a vocabulary of up to 1000 words. Your child should be 75% intelligible to an unknown listener.
- 4 years: Your child should be 100% intelligible to an unknown listener.
Insurance questions
What insurances do you accept? How do I know if you are in-network with my insurance?
We are an in-network provider with the following insurance companies.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- United Healthcare
- Tricare
- Cook Medicaid
- Molina Healthcare
- Friday Health Plans
If your insurance company is not listed, please contact us at (817) 764-3825 and our insurance specialist will determine if we are an out-of-network provider and what your out-of-pocket cost may be.
Is a referral required?
This depends on your insurance company. Insurance can get a bit tricky, so we have our insurance specialist ready to guide you through the process. Please give us a call at (817) 764-3825 for assistance.
If my child has Medicaid what do I need to get the process started?
Cook Medicaid requires the following steps be completed prior to initiating regular therapy sessions. The initial evaluation can be completed with only a referral from the child’s PCP.
- Pure tone hearing test (speech therapy only)
- Referral from PCP
- Developmental screener (ASQ, etc.)
What to know about the initial evaluation
How long is an initial evaluation?
Evaluation length will depend on your child’s individual needs; an evaluation may last 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
Will the therapist who evaluates my child also treat my child?
All staff at Little Red Wagon Pediatric Therapy are highly qualified and work as a team to help your child meet their fullest potential. Depending on your child’s needs, family availability and therapist availability, it is possible your child will receive services with another therapist following the initial evaluation.
Do I need to bring anything to the evaluation?
Please bring your insurance card and a photo ID. If your child has previously received services from another source, whether it be a different facility or the school district, bring a copy of any prior evaluations/IEP.
What to expect when your child begins therapy
Do I need to be present for my child's therapy session? Can I observe the therapy session?
We deeply value family support and education and believe that it is the key to success when working with our families. For this reason, we do ask that parents plan to be part of their child’s therapy session.
It is important that you are an active participant in your child’s therapy to ensure carryover into the home/community and for the therapist to answer and address any questions or concerns you may have.
How long will my child require treatment? How many times a week will my child have to go to therapy?
The duration and frequency of your child’s treatment is highly dependent on the results of the evaluation, the child’s motivation to succeed and family participation.
Since our care plans are highly personalized to each child and based on the child’s needs and severity of their delay, therapy duration and frequency will be discussed at the end of the initial evaluation and following consequential re-assessments.
How long is each therapy session?
- Speech/feeding/myofunctionaltherapy sessions typically last 30-40 minutes.
- Occupational therapy sessions typically last 45-60 minutes.
How do I know what to work on at home?
At the conclusion of each therapy session, the therapist will provide you with strategies, techniques and written/verbal homework to complete at home until your next session.
Schedule an Appointment
We are proud to have served more than 600 Dallas-Fort Worth area families.
If you are searching for answers to these types of questions or have concerns about your child, adolescent, or family, we can help.