Our Most

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions we receive related to pediatric occupational therapy services. This is not all encompassing, so if you have a question not answered here - please ask!

How do we get started?

The process begins with an in-depth intake questionnaire that provides valuable information regarding your child’s developmental history, educational information, parent observations/concerns, communication and language skills, and functional independence in daily life activities. From that, we are able to select specific evaluations that enable a deeper look into what may be causing the breakdown in growth, development, and learning.

What does an evaluation look like?

Our comprehensive initial evaluation looks at the whole child. We use specific assessments to look at the neurodevelopment of your child to assist us in determining where the breakdown in growth, development, or learning occurs. Typically, the evaluation of your child’s current skills/abilities, strengths, and weaknesses takes the longest and is often 1 ½ - 2 hours in length and includes standardized testing, parent and/or teacher interview, and clinical observations.

What do direct treatment (1:1) sessions entail?

At each treatment session we PLAY! We work towards therapeutic and family goals while playing games, and being on the floor moving! Some of the best treatment activities and sessions come from the child’s ideas! In addition, we go over/modify home programming exercises, discuss what’s going well, what’s still challenging, review parent/child goals, and make any additional recommendations.

Other things to know about treatment sessions:

Each session lasts 45-50 minutes; with 10-15 minutes of parent education/questions.
The rate of your child’s progress is highly dependent on the carry-over of home programming activities/exercises.

What is your policy regarding fees for your services?

Pause & Play Occupational Therapy services will be private pay (cash-based); meaning we will not be billing insurance or any third party payers on your child's behalf. Why you ask? Let's look at some of the rich benefits of cash-based services.

Benefits of cash-based services:

Can intervene earlier (i.e. when red flags begin to appear) vs. waiting to reach a level of significant delay for insurance to deem treatment necessary.
More 1:1 time with your therapist to truly understand your child's strengths, challenges, and how you can support their development and learning!
No limits on areas we can address. Oftentimes third party payers place limits on the "areas" of need; because all of our body systems and brain processing is interconnected, when one thing is off.. others often are too.
You often save money in the long run - when we can actually address the underlying concerns and skill deficits your child's time they need skilled intervention tends to be less. In addition, many of us have high deductible and/or out-of-pocket max insurance plans that will require private pay up to meeting those thresholds.
Most importantly... It empowers you to be & remain the expert of your child!

Please don’t let this intimidate you, or cause you to not initiate services - reach out and we can make something work!

What is your cancellation policy?

We understand life happens - kids get sick, scheduling conflicts arise, etc.; if something comes up please cancel your scheduled appointment at least 12 hours prior to the start time when able.

What should I do if my child has been sick?

You and your child should be fever-free and free from vomiting and/or diarrhea 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. In case of a known exposure to COVID-19, or other communicable diseases, please follow pediatrician/physician recommendations. If your child is ill enough to miss school or daycare, they likely won’t benefit from therapy that day.

How will I know if my child is making progress?

Each child makes progress at different rates - and that progress will likely eb and flow throughout your time in therapy. Occupational therapy focuses on improving a child’s daily functioning and quality of life by skill building through play. Your therapist will provide feedback regarding progress each session, and periodically with updates on therapeutic goals. More often than not, parents report improved ease of daily function, less tantrums/upsets, improved self-control and self-regulation skills, and increased ease of new learning - that’s huge progress!

We thank you for choosing Pause & Play Occupational Therapy to serve you and your family.