Theraplay LA

To enable Doctor Marielly and staff to dedicate as much time as possible to patient care, we operate a fee-for-service practice. When we opened our practice in 2012, we chose not to contract with any insurance providers, so that we can devote valuable time to our patients and minimize time spent on the administration of insurance claims and interaction with insurance companies.

Although we do not contract with any insurance providers, we can provide you with an insurance reimbursement claim form (also called a “superbill”) upon your request.

A diagnosis code will be required from your physician for this super bill as we are legally not allowed to diagnose. Once your invoice is paid and we receive a diagnosis code from your physician we can give you a complete super bill. You can then submit it to your insurance provider so that your provider and reimbursement can process your claim.

Please note that we do not accept the assignment of insurance reimbursement as payment for services rendered. We do not administer the processing of insurance claims. If insurance providers mail payment to Marielly Mitchell OTD, OTR/L, SIPT, SWC we will return these payments to insurance carriers. It is the patient’s responsibility to follow-up claim submissions with insurance providers.

Unfortunately, due to rising gas prices, increased demand for our services, and logistical complications, we are no longer able to offer this service. That being said, our Los Angeles Team of OTs and SLPs are available to see families via telehealth upon request.

Yes! We are happy to announce we’ve once again begun treating families in our 2,500 square foot Los Angeles sensory gym filled with unique equipment and fun activities. Our newly revamped space includes a brand new rock wall, monkey bars, a zip line, and a play loft! Not to mention more equipment for climbing, swinging, and playing.

You can find us at 1070 S. La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90019

Please be aware: for everyone’s health and safety, we’ll be regularly sanitizing our sensory gym. We also ask that parents wait outside for the duration of their child's session

The number and frequency is entirely dependent on the needs of your child and what they're working on. That being said, we’ve observed a greater success rate when initially implementing an intensive model (up to 5 times per week) and tapering down the number of sessions as progress develops. We want to avoid spreading the therapeutic process over months and years.

Think of it like starting a new exercise program: you’ll see more results if you train several times per week rather than random workouts once a week.

For families outside of Los Angeles, we’re excited to provide virtual or in-person coaching to parents. These sessions will guide you through exercises and how to support your child.

Just like our in-person therapy, we’ll answer your questions and provide resources to give you peace of mind and a path forward.

Speech therapy is almost always recommended for autistic children since many people with autism have difficulty with social communication. Even if a child is very verbal and says a lot of words, they might need to work on communication skills like: 

• responding to questions
• starting or ending conversation
• changing conversation topics
• using gestures like pointing
• understanding other people's body language 

Speech therapy is a big focus in early intervention for autistic children and is usually the starting place for recently diagnosed kids. There is a critical period in the brain for language development and so, it's really important to teach language and communication skills as early as possible, especially if there are any delays in that area. Your child will learn effective ways to communicate which will help them grow into more independent and confident individuals.

It might be obvious when a child struggles with speaking —they are very quiet, say only a few words, or don't speak at all.

Spot speech and language delays like a doctor here.

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

The occupational therapy process includes an OT evaluation before care starts. Here are the four steps your family can expect when starting occupational therapy:

1. Complete OT evaluation. An occupational therapist first identifies your child’s strengths and needs through a thorough OT evaluation, also known as an OT assessment or screening. You’ll answer questions about your child’s skills, and your child will most likely demonstrate their skills via hands-on activities with the therapist. Evaluations can last 30 minutes to a few hours.
2. Approve OT plan. The therapist develops a care plan with individualized goals and customized interventions based on your child’s needs. You can also share any specific goals or concerns before approving the OT plan.
3. Start therapy sessions. The therapist works directly with your child and your family, using various strategies and exercises to systematically improve areas of limitations and to build upon a child’s strengths. Some exercises your child might participate in are animal walks, obstacle courses, and therapy swing activities. Your family may learn strategies for supporting your child’s individualized needs at home, such as ways of supporting emotional regulation and sensory processing. The therapist may also recommend tools and techniques to use at home, in the community, or in the classroom to help your child succeed.
4. Monitor your child’s progress. Parents and caregivers can expect ongoing progress monitoring and communication to ensure the child is achieving their short and long-term goals.