Frequently Asked Questions
What financial assistance options are available to help with the cost of assessment and/or intervention?
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
We can see NDIS participants who are either plan managed or self-managed. Your invoices can be sent directly to your plan manager for payment or can be paid at reception at the time of your consultation.
Medicare Rebates
Speech pathology services are eligible for a Medicare rebate under the Chronic Disease Management Plan for up to 5 sessions per calendar year. We recommend making an appointment with your GP to confirm your child’s eligibility. If your child is eligible, we recommend obtaining a plan from your GP and providing us with this referral before your first visit to us. Your Medicare rebate can be claimed online on MyGov.
Private Health Insurance
Private speech pathology is covered under many health fund plans. We strongly recommend that you ensure you are covered for our services before booking your first appointment. We can provide the invoice receipts you need for Private Health Insurance rebate claims but we cannot process your Private Health Insurance rebates.
What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule a session?
To make a cancellation please call or email us as soon as you can letting us know the client’s name and, the date and time of the session that you are cancelling.
Please be aware that we do have a Cancellation and Fail to Attend Policy which may apply for late cancellations. We require a minimum of 48 hours’ notice of appointment cancellation. At this point, we can offer you a telehealth session or sometimes, try and reschedule your session within the same week.
Late cancellations of 48 to 24 hours’ notice will incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the scheduled fee.
Late cancellations on the day of an appointment or missed without any contact to us will incur a late cancellation fee equivalent to the full scheduled fee to cover the time spent preparing for the session and, given that the late notification does not allow for the appointment to be offered to someone else.
The time of your correspondence will be noted when you contact us to make a cancellation to determine if the late cancellation policy will be applied when you cancel.
Cancellation fees need to be paid prior to the next scheduled appointment.
We understand that life happens and unforeseen circumstances may arise from time to time. There may be times at our sole discretion that we agree to waive all or part of your cancellation fee e.g., due to an emergency.
What happens during a therapy session?
Most sessions start and end with some parent/carer chat before. Depending on your child’s goals and age or preferences, therapy will involve a combination of activities seated at a table or in play on the floor. Your child’s engagement and motivation is important so we enjoy getting to know them and using their interests in the session to make learning and targeting their goals a positive experience.
Some parents/carers are asked to come in for the duration of the session whereas others only need to remain for part of the session. We find that remaining actively involved in the therapy progress can help parents/carers in feeling confident about implementing recommendations at home. It can also be a positive experience between parent/carer and child.
Parent chat at the end will usually involve recommending or providing specific activities, exercises to complete at home to support your child’s progress.
How often are therapy sessions?
The session frequency depends on your child’s presentation or diagnosis, and your goals for therapy. Some children require weekly or bi-weekly treatment to make the best progress, whereas others only need to see a speech therapist once a month. Your speech therapist will work with you to determine what frequency best suits your child's needs, and adjust this over time.
How can I balance speech therapy with other activities and competing responsibilities?
We acknowledge that coordinating work, home, school and extracurricular activities can be challenging. We will work with you to find a therapy freqency and time slot that is going to best fit in with your other commitments and aim to find out more about you and your child’s routines to provide support and to problem-solve around how you and key adults in your child’s life can help your child achieve their goals.
How can I communicate effectively with my child’s educator about their communication needs?
We are always happy to be involved in and encourage regular care team or student support group meetings with parents/carers, teachers and/or other allied health professionals involved in supporting your child. This allows us to advocate for your child’s communication needs and provide strategies and support to others for working with your child. Part of our support to your child, is to help build your knowledge, skills and confidence for advocating for your child so that you can communicate to others’ about your child’s presentation and needs
Get In Touch
Fill out the form by providing us with some information about your child or school and what you’d like support with.
Alternatively, you can email or call us.
Email: hello@readrightspeech.com.au