Speech Therapy, Early Intervention, Occupational Therapy + 1 more
Address: 11 Sandy Point Rd | Stratham, NH 03885
Rating: 4.50 (2 reviews)
Insurances:
Ages Served: Birth to 3 years
Care Settings: No info provided
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About The Richie McFarland Children’s Center
For our families in the Seacoast region, the world just got a whole lot bigger! The day has finally come. We are merged with Waypoint and we are so excited to now be a part of the Waypoint family! That means, we have a more diverse team able to do more great things for even more families in our communities. #BETTERTOGETHER Early Supports & Services is dedicated to children who have developmental disabilities, developmental delays or are at risk for developmental delays. Our goal is to optimize your baby’s cognitive, physical, emotional and social development, self-sufficiency and chance for success.
Our role is to empower you with knowledge and understanding of your child’s development and with the emotional and practical skills you’ll need to enhance the health, wellness and future of your baby and your family.
Together, you and your ESS team will design a program that best meets the needs of your child, family and lifestyle. Your team may include speech and language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, educators, early childhood development specialists and social workers.
Services for your child can not be denied because of a lack of insurance coverage, and at this time there is no out-of-pocket cost to families for ESS (insurance copays and deductibles will not be charged to families).
Please note that without member information we cannot guarantee that your specific plan covers these services. We recommend asking the care provider before beginning services.
Our son was referred for speech before he was two years old. Myself and everyone around my son didnt find the need for him to be evaluated but we went at...
Brianna F.
April 7, 2018
yelp review
My toddler attends a weekly play group. They are incredibly unorganized. It took 4 months of repeat calls to get someone to call me back but once we got...
Jessica P.
May 23, 2012
Frequently Asked Questions
The goal of speech therapy is to help your child communicate effectively with other people across all environments. This may take the form of using gestures, simple signs, verbal speech, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Some other common things speech therapists can help with:
Nonverbal skills, such as signs or gestures
Forming speech in a clearer way
Communicating thoughts and feelings clearly
Understanding and responding to questions
Discerning facial expressions and their corresponding emotions
Noticing and understanding body language
Feeding and swallowing
Stuttering
“Early Intervention” might be the provider’s way of describing services that they provide to babies or young children. However, it might also indicate that the provider is a vendor for your state’s publicly funded program. This means the services with this provider might be covered by your state!
The first step in accessing these free services from your state is to get an evaluation. The evaluation will help the state determine what services your child qualifies for, if any. You can find your state’s local EI program by clicking here.
When you contact your local center, say “I have concerns about my child’s development and I would like to have my child evaluated to find out if they are eligible for early intervention services.” They will ask screening questions and arrange for an evaluation, which is provided for free.
The occupational therapy process includes an OT evaluation before care starts. Here are the four steps your family can expect when starting occupational therapy:
Complete OT evaluation. An occupational therapist first identifies your strengths and needs through a thorough OT evaluation, also known as an OT assessment or screening. You’ll answer questions about you your skills, and you will most likely demonstrate these skills via hands-on activities with the therapist. Evaluations can last 30 minutes to a couple hours.
Approve OT plan. The therapist develops a care plan with individualized goals and customized interventions based on your needs. You can also share any specific goals or concerns before approving the OT plan.
Start therapy sessions. The therapist works directly with you, using various strategies and exercises to systematically improve areas of limitations and to build upon your strengths. If there are others part of your care team, the therapist may teach strategies for supporting your individualized needs at home and may recommend tools and techniques to use at home, in the community, or in the classroom to help you thrive.
Monitor your progress. You can expect ongoing progress monitoring and communication to ensure you're achieving your short and long-term goals.