(631) 479-3393

Speech Language Pathology in Motion
Speech Language Pathology in Motion

(631) 479-3393

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"Every child deserves a champion; an adult who insists they become the best they can possibly be."

Resources & FAQs

Grants & Funding Resources

Speech Language Pathology in Motion believes that all families deserve access to high quality speech, language and feeding therapy.  The  following is a list of grants that may help your family make private speech therapy possible.  Many additional grants are available, and can be accessed through a web search.  We have found that most families who actively pursue funding, when it is needed, are able to find it.  Please do not let financial difficulties stop you from getting the highest quality treatments available.  Contact us if you need assistance in finding a grant or are aware of additional resources for our families in need.

  • United Healthcare Children's Foundation
  • Matthew's Giving Tree Foundation
  • Spectrum of Dreams (Long Island)
  • Chrysalis Fund (autism)
  • C.A.R.E. Foundation (autism, income below $75,000)
  • ACT Today (autism, military program, urgent needs)
  • First Hands
  • Small Steps in Speech
  • Danielles foundation (CP, Brain injury)
  • The Italian Welfare League (Of Italian heritage)
  • Helping hands (Autism)
  • New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) (vision loss)
  • My Goal (autism socialization programs)
  • SEAL Family Foundation (Military families)
  • Modest Needs (low income) 
  • Hannah’s Helping Hands Grants
  • My Child Without Limits
  • Autism Care and Treatment Today! 
  • Long Island Family Support Services Advisory Council
  • Autism Speaks (resource/grant list) 
  • Funding tips for children with Down Syndrome
  • Friends of Man
  • Gia Nicole Angel Foundation (Physical disability)
  • Hands to Angels Foundation (rare genetic disorders)
  • Kya's Krusade (Physical disability)
  • The Lindsay Foundation (under 18)
  • Parker's purpose (under 18)
  • The prayer child foundation (under 18)
  • Quota (deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired)
  • Sunshine Foundation
  • American Speech Language Hearing Association (Resources)
  • Bridge to Healing (Therapy not covered by insurance)
  • Ultimate List of Grants and Resources for Families with Special Needs (Extensive listing of grants for various needs)

Tips for Applying for Grants

Parent Resources

Helpful Links on speech and language development:  

  • Know the Signs of Speech and Language Disorders 
  • Speech & Language Resources 
  • Late Blooming or Language Problem?
  • Identify the Signs 

 

Speech Language Pathology Links

  • The American Speech Language Hearing Association
  • New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  • Long Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association 
  • Apraxia-KIDS
  • The Stuttering Foundation
  • The PROMPT Institute
  • The American Hippotherapy Association
  • ICDL Home of DIRFloortime

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pay for services at Speech Language Pathology in Motion?

You can pay for speech therapy services by cash, personal check or credit card.  We accept Visa, American Express, Discover and Master Card. Payment is due at the time of the session.  If you have out of network coverage for speech, language or feeding therapy, you may choose to submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement.  Many major insurance companies cover speech therapy services; however, each insurance plan varies.    


We believe that each and every child with speech, language and feeding difficulties  should be able to afford high quality treatment.  We are committed to  keeping our therapy rates as affordable as possible while maintaining the highest quality care.  


If our services are not covered by your insurance plan, we may be able to assist you in securing funding for therapy.  Please visit grants and funding resources list for possible funding sources, or contact us for assistance. 

Funding Resources

My child no longer qualifies for speech, but is still struggling, can we get private therapy?

Yes!  The early intervention and school systems provide services to children who have significant speech and language delays and disorders that will impact the child's education. If your child's speech or language difficulties do not impact his/her education, or are not found to be significant enough for them to be eligible for services through these programs, you still should help your child to overcome these difficulties by seeking private speech therapy.  

My child gets therapy at school or through early intervention, can they receive private therapy too?

Yes, you can receive private therapy in addition to county/state/school therapy services.  Additional private therapy often helps children to make progress toward speech and language goals at a faster rate, and the focus may be different in private therapy than in educationally relevant models. 

How often should we come for therapy? How long are the sessions?

Following the initial evaluation, if speech or language therapy services are recommended, we will make a recommendation regarding how often and how long you or your family member should come for therapy.   Each patient is unique; however we typically recommend speech therapy  1 to 3 times per week for 30, 45 or 60 minutes.   

My child already gets speech therapy in school. Can we just come for hippotherapy?

We do not offer hippotherapy as a "stand alone service" at Speech Language Pathology in Motion.  

We want the best for our clients.  In our experience, clients make the greatest progress when therapy is provided in more than one setting, using more than one technique.  This approach to treatment gives the therapist a great deal of information about how the client is doing with his or her skills in different settings and helps the therapist to ensure that the client makes gains as quickly as possible. 


In addition, consistency is critical for progress.  There are times when the horses are not available due to scheduling or weather.  Progress may be interrupted, or clients may even demonstrate regression in skills if therapy is not consistent.  Clients are expected to attend therapy in accordance with their treatment plan, and come to the Hauppauge clinic any time a scheduled session is not able to take place at the Islandia location to ensure continuity of care.

How does Hippotherapy differ from Adaptive or Therapeutic Horseback Riding?

The positive benefits of interactions between horses and individuals with special needs have been recognized and researched for decades.  There are a variety of services and activities available for individuals with special needs that incorporate horses.  Two of the most common are "therapeutic/adaptive horseback riding lessons" and "hippotherapy".  

The most notable difference between the two is that hippotherapy is a  treatment strategy or tool that can be incorporated into a medical treatment, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech language pathology services.  These healthcare services require medical necessity, and can only be provided by properly trained and licensed professionals.
 

Riding lessons do not require medical necessity, as they are recreational in nature and are not intended to provide habitation or rehabilitation.  Riding instructors typically do not have training in healthcare, nor do they have a medical license.  Riding instructors often have skills related to teaching horsemanship and are able to adapt their teaching style to meet the needs of individuals with special needs.  They allow for the safe participation in the sport of horseback riding for individuals with a variety of needs.

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Why does SLPIM incorporate movement and sensory activities into speech therapy sessions?

Many complex processes contribute to a child’s ability to speak, including motor learning, motor planning, sensory processing and sensory integration.  The production of a single syllable requires the  participation of 8-10 body parts and the coordinated action of 70  muscles. Because speech is a complex motor task involving so many different muscles and body parts, it is important the entire body be addressed.  Inadequate trunk control, instability at the shoulder girdle, and poor stability in the head, neck and jaw can all negatively impact speech production. Recognizing that speech is a movement task means we must also recognize the importance of an intact sensory  processing system, because the ability to move well requires feedback to the brain from the... 

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Why horses?

Speech Language Pathology in Motion uses horses in our treatment for several different reasons.  The farm is a language rich environment and provides a lot to talk about.  Patients respond well to being around the animals and to being outdoors.  Many times the patients do not realize that they are working on therapy goals. The horse's walking gait moves the human body in a similar pattern to the human pelvis while walking.  The therapist is able to facilitate increased trunk control, stability and breath support through the movement of the horse.  These functions support speech and language. The horse’s walk provides sensory input through movement, which is variable, rhythmic, and repetitive.  While on the horse, the patient moves up and down, forward and back, side to side and through space as the horse walks. This type of  movement is not able to be replicated in a clinic.  The therapist carefully chooses horses for each patient based on the type of movement they produce.  The variability of the horse’s gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the patient, and then utilize this movement in combination with other speech-language pathology treatment strategies to achieve desired results. A wide variety of speech and language goals can be addressed while on the horse, and around the farm. 

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Is speech therapy incorporating hippotherapy and/or equines for everyone?

While many children and adults benefit from Hippotherapy and Equine Assisted Therapy, it is not for everyone.  There are several factors that may make hippotherapy or equine assisted therapy contraindicated.  

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How much time will be spent on the horse?

The treatment plan is different for each patient.  At the time of your evaluation it will be determined if Hippotherapy should be a part of the treatment plan, and to what extent.  The  scheduled session times are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, and typically are provided 1-3 times/week.  It is at the therapist’s discretion how much of that time is spent on the horse, in the barn, and in the treatment room.  Each patient tolerates different amounts of time on the horse.  Spending time around the farm and in the clinic facilitates carry over of skills achieved while on the horse, and is a very important part of the treatment. The therapist has extensive training in conducting approach, and will use this expertise in determining how the session will be spent by taking into account many variables (including but not limited to the best way to address specific speech-language goals, safety, and patient performance). 

Is hippotherapy safe?

Hippotherapy is safe when provided by a trained therapist, with the help of a specially trained team.  The use of equine movement at Speech Language Pathology in Motion is done with carefully selected horses, and well trained horse handlers and side walkers.  Our therapists have extensive experience working with horses and training in the use of hippotherapy and equine assisted speech therapy. A research study conducted by Rebecca Cook, OTR, HPCS found that "The hippotherapy injury rate (1/14,386) is significantly lower compared with recreational riders (1/100)." 


Additional safety information can be found here. 

Are there age restrictions for the use of hippotherapy in treatment?

At Speech Language Pathology in Motion, we begin utilizing hippotherapy within treatment sessions for children as young as 18 months of age, when deemed appropriate by the treating therapist and primary care physician.  

How is PROMPT therapy different from traditional articulation therapy?

"Traditional" speech language therapy relies on auditory and visual systems to provide information about sound production. PROMPT therapy adds another dimension to the process of learning to talk, by providing information to the tactile system.  Adding this dimension helps children  and adults to better understand timing and placement for speech production by providing them with physical cues in addition to visual and auditory cues.  Sensory feedback from movements is stored and as the child is provided multiple opportunities for practice muscle memory builds and movement patterns for speech improve. 

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Can you incorporate more than one treatment tool or approach such as DIRFloortime, hippotherapy and/

Yes!  For many patients we are able to incorporate a variety of treatment tools or approaches at the same time.  Many of the approaches and tools utilized at Speech Language Pathology in Motion complement each other well and easily are integrated into sessions. For example, hippotherapy and PROMPT go together nicely because they both embody motor learning theory and both take the whole body into consideration when addressing speech and language goals.  The same can be said for DIRFloortime and hippotherapy as these techniques also complement each other well and when combined are highly effective in the remediation speech and language difficulties and improving motor planning abilities.  

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What is a motor speech disorder?

Motor Speech Disorders are impairments in one or more of the motor processes that are required for speech.  Children with motor speech disorders may exhibit motor deficits in one or more of the following areas:

  • Sensory Processing and Motor Planning: Two major types of sensory input, tactile and proprioceptive, are closely linked to the acquisition of well-controlled movements for speech. Information from tactile and proprioceptive systems, generated during movement experiences, is critical to motor planning and the  automaticity of movements.  "Motor plans" are internalized plans of action that prescribe movement patterns for specific motor actions.
  • Sensory-motor Programming: This process accounts for the timing and positioning of movements of  the speech musculature, which are the foundation for coordinated  movements. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder affecting the ability to plan and program movement sequences for speech production.
  • Movement Execution: At the level of execution, the muscles of the jaw, lips and tongue produce the previously planned and programmed movements for speech production. Dysarthria is a term for a group of related motor speech disorders resulting from  paralysis, weakness, abnormal tone or incoordination of the muscles  used in speech.  Some children may exhibit characteristics that are  typical of dysarthria, (hypotonia, fine or gross motor delays), yet have no neurologic diagnosis.

Motor actions (for speech) are closely linked to sensory information received through movement experiences. 

Why is it called "Hippotherapy"?

Don't worry!  Hippos are NOT part of the "hippotherapy" team!  "Hippo" is the Greek word for horse.  The term Hippotherapy loosely translates as "treatment with the help of a horse".  

Speech Language Pathology in Motion

300 Wheeler Rd, Hauppauge, New York 11788, United States

Phone: (631) 479-3393 ex. 3 Fax: (631) 479-3358