Do you need a Speech Therapy referral?
Do you need a speech referral? Does your child or family member need a Speech Therapy referral? If this is something you’ve considered, you might be wondering how to go about getting one.
It’s quite simple. Make an appointment with your primary care physician and ask for one. Be prepared to answer a few questions. They will want to know why.
What are your concerns? What is going on in your life or your child’s life that you are concerned about? The reasons you give play an important part in the referral process.
Here comes the detailed information. When a provider (doctor, dentist, therapist, etc.) treats a patient, there are special codes used to identify the ‘problem’. Such as a sore throat, broken arm, or sinus infection. Very specific codes are used for every problem you can imagine.
Speech Therapy referral ‘problems’ could be any of the following: these are comments I’ve heard in the clinic:
• ‘I can’t understand anything he is saying’
• ‘She isn’t able to pronounce a lot of sounds’
• ‘My voice has changed and I have a hard time swallowing pills’
• ‘Since his stroke a few years ago, he has difficulty remembering’
• ‘He can’t seem to get his thoughts out or think of certain words’
And the list goes on and on…each area described gives the provider an idea of what the problem might be. They write the referral and use a specific code matching the ‘symptom/problem’.
Make a list with examples. Bring this with you. Often when we get into the doctors’ office our mind goes blank! I am certainly guilty of this! Most of the time I will leave the ‘list’ in the car. Yep. Still do it.
The ‘referral’ is technically a prescription. Sounds weird but it is a prescription for a speech evaluation. This prescription is valid for one year unless stated otherwise.
Kind regards,
Pamela