FAQ

Absolutely! We are well educated and very experienced in treating speech articulation (sounds) and language delays (both expressive, receptive, or mixed). If your child needs therapy for speech sounds or has a delay, we'd love to welcome them (and you!) into our practice.

Do you treat feeding/picky eaters?

We do not currently offer this service, but if we see a need (let us know if you're looking for this service) we will look into hiring an SLP that is focused and trained in the area of pediatric feeding. We believe in hiring therapists that are passionate and well-educated in the areas they treat. Our field is big - specialized training is a key factor in the quality of care we can offer.

What ages do you treat?

At Central Oahu Speech we focus our training and experience on ages 2-7. All speech therapists are trained to provide treatment throughout the entire lifespan. However, we believe that focusing on one age group allows us to be the best therapists we can for the patients we serve. We have experience with: phonology (language), articulation (speech sounds), autism, and apraxia of speech. Your doctor may refer to some of these simply as a developmental delay, or delayed speech.

*Please note that we are a neurodiversity affirming company.

Does my child need a doctor's referral?

Yes, you do need a doctor's referral. The referral must be specifically address to Central Oahu Speech. This is true for Tricare Prime, Tricare Select, and Kaiser Permanente Patients.

Due to the importance of a doctor's referral for reimbursement, we will not add a patient to our schedule without a doctor's referral already provided to us via fax or available for us to look up in the insurance's provider portal.

Will Tricare cover my child's care?

Yes! As long as you have the appropriate referral (and authorization if you are Tricare Prime) Tricare covers speech therapy. In order to maintain that coverage, an annual referral is necessary.

What does is mean when you say you are neurodiversity affirming?

This means that we believe in meeting our patients were they are, and helping them communicate in the most successful way. Some forms of therapy focus on training an autistic individual to fit into neurotypical expectations (e.g., "act normal"). We believe in helping our patients find what works for them to be healthy, happy, and able to express themselves or demonstrate understanding when others communicate with them. This includes looking at environmental conditions, bio-feedback needs (such as big body movements or self-regulation), and trying non-speaking forms of communication so that our patients can participate in their classrooms and daily activities with fewer overwhelming moments, and more connection.

We believe in total communication, and recognizing that neurodiverse individuals deserve the same right to be themselves that neurotypical individuals have. We work hard to listen to adult autistic voices and to avoid therapy techniques that are compliancy based.

How long is a treatment session?

Our treatment sessions are typically 30 minutes, evaluations are 30-45 minutes. Just like adults, children have some days that they're able to focus more, and some days where they didn't sleep well, or aren't feeling their best. We make sure our treatments are flexible and child-led. If a child is doing well, we may go 3-5 minutes over. If they're struggling, we may cut it shorter and focus the last 5-10 minutes on parent education for home activity recommendations.

We are sometimes asked about hour-long treatments. Consider the activities your child does on the days when they're home. How often do you see them truly engaged for a full hour? We use shorter treatment sessions with a lot of caregiver (parent) education for strategies to carryover at home. We do this to make sure that every moment of your child's therapy time is engaged and valuable. This allows your child to process their new learning between sessions, while getting the benefit of consistent and high-volume repetition (required for learning new skills) within the session, with consistent (but typically lower volume) practice at home as well. Caregiver training and carryover of activities throughout the daily routine is *key* factor in how quickly your child will progress. In the age group we work with, we've found that hour-long sessions, especially during the school year or combined with other therapies on their schedule, results in increased behaviors, or the need for frequent breaks.

Do you treat adults?

Yes! But on a very limited basis. Cass is a Medicare Provider and is also contracted (in-network) with Kaiser Permanente. She has extensive experience working with adults following CVA/stroke. Cass offers speech therapy for motor speech (dysarthria/unclear speech due to muscle weakness), Aphasia (difficulty understanding or finding words to say, new difficulty reading or writing), and Voice (strained, harsh, or new changes to how your voice sounds - must have an ENT referral for voice therapy). If you are a patient at Fysiotherapie Hawaii and are interested in private pay services, please call Cass at 601-641-9594 to learn about your options for partnered therapy packages.

What is your mask policy?

Our policy is based on several factors. First, we look at overall case counts for the day/week and current state mandates. Then we consider the if the clinician has been ill, or if they're planning a big event soon. If all of those factors do not indicate a need for a mask we look at parent preference, and also clinician preference. The masks we do use have a clear window to show the mouth, and are treated with anti-fog solution.

As of April, 2023 we do not require our patients or family members to wear a mask, but they are welcome to wear one if they would like to. We do ask that if you have been sick in past 3-5 days and are waiting in the clinic to please wear a mask.

What are your after-school hours?

We are open on Monday-Friday (sorry no weekends), and our latest appointments start at 5pm.