FAQs

What is speech and language therapy?

It is allied health discipline specializing in diagnosis and treatment of various speech, language and communication related disorders. It is also evaluation and remediation of oral motor difficulties such as drooling, open mouth posture at rest, feeding and drinking problems. Speech therapists work also with people who have fluency difficulties (stuttering), auditory processing issues and are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Down Syndrome, Learning Disabilities etc. In BubbleBee we specialize in paediatric speech and language therapy and we have been working with children as young as ten months and as old as fifteen years old. We are very sorry, but we do not see adult patients in our clinic.

How frequently does my child need to attend speech therapy sessions?

The frequency of therapy depends on an individual case i. e.; what is the nature of the child's speech and language problem, how old is the child and how often parents/caregivers are able to bring the child to our clinic. In average we do see children once a week for one hour session. However, we do also provide therapy twice and thrice a week if such frequency may speed up progress or is required by the child's issues (i. e., severe feeding difficulties or articulation problems). In some cases we do also see clients on an everyday basis. Parents and the therapist together make the decision about therapy frequency after the initial assessment.

How long does each session last?

Speech and language therapy takes always one hour per session. Parents always receive verbal feedback at the end of the session, and if there is not enough time between one therapy and another, our therapists are happy to contact caregivers via phone or e-mail to discuss the child's progress and therapy performance.

How long will my child have to attend therapy?

There are no norms or rules. Sometimes therapy lasts over a year, in other cases it may be enough to attend few months of treatment. There are also children with certain speech and/or language problems that need to come to see therapist only few times. You may ask your child's therapist after few sessions if your child is making progress, how fast is she/he learning etc.

When are you discharging children form therapy?

It happens usually when the child achieves the goals assigned after initial evaluation. If let's say the child comes to see us for articulation improvement, we will discharge the child from the therapy once her/his speech is clear and easily understandable to strangers. If you want to know if your child is ready and the therapy should be stopped, please talk to your therapist.

Are parents allowed to sit in during therapy?

Yes. Parents should be present especially during the initial evaluation, so the examiner could clarify certain doubts on the spot. During initial assessment Speech Therapist must ask parents number of questions to learn about the child and his/her difficulties. We do also encourage parents to sit in during the following therapy sessions, so they can see what happens during the therapy and that the therapist may explain why she is using such technique and what could be done at home/school to follow up. However, if the parent prefers to leave the child alone with us, we of course do accept it. It is also fine if the domestic helper, grandparents or other relatives bring the child for the therapy. Please just inform us who will come with the child. The caregivers present during the session are requested not to interrupt the treatment, unless they need to ask a question, clarify something. Whenever applicable, we do include everyone in the session.

Are siblings allowed to the therapy sessions?

Usually not. While having brother or sister around is lots of fun, it also may distract the child from therapy and will require the therapist to divide attention between the kids. The child who needs therapy should have all the therapist's attention for himself/herself to best benefit from the therapy. However, we do allow siblings to sit in if it happens occasionally. Please inform us in advance if you are not able to arrange supervision for the sibling.

What do you do during a speech and language assessment?

This is usually first meeting with the therapist during which speech therapist (ST or SLT) interviews the parents to obtain as much information as possible about general history of the child's development (i. e., when the child started to walk, when did she/he uttered first sound and first word, how does the child communicate with others, what are the main parents concerns etc.). Parents are also asked to fill in short questionnaire about the child. If there are any reports or notes available from previous therapies, we would like to have a look, as it helps us to plan therapy better. Depending on the nature of the problem and on the child's age, the SLT may perform formal evaluation using norm-reference assessment test or just make informal observations of the child's speech, language and oral motor skills. At the end of the assessment parents always receive verbal feedback on the evaluation outcome, as well as information if the child requires regular therapy and if yes - how frequent should it be. We do provide written assessment report on the parents request.

Is the written assessment report compulsory?

No. We always provide caregivers with verbal feedback directly after the initial evaluation and we may provide parents with a written report if they wish so. Sometimes full speech and language report is required by a school or other professionals, in such cases we do prepare it on the request. It usually takes up to two weeks for us to complete such report.

Do we have to go through the assessment if our child has been already assessed by speech therapist in other centre/hospital?

Yes. It will be great to see the report from past assessment, however we still need to perform our own evaluation. It is because the therapist needs to know the child and its developmental history before treatment. Moreover, the previous assessment could be done some time ago and the child may have different skills currently. Initial appointment also helps the child to get used to new place and new therapist. It is also an opportunity for parents to share their concerns with the professional and clarify doubts, if any.

Can we cancel our child's therapy?

Yes, of course. In BubbleBee we require 24 hours notice prior to scheduled appointment to cancel the therapy. Parents may let us know about their decision to call off the session via e-mail, phone or text message. Please do inform us in advance (i. e., 1 day before), as it helps us to better arrange our schedule and for example allocate the slot to someone else, who is awaiting appointment.

Can you guarantee progress?

Well, not always. In BubbleBee we do have large number of success stories and satisfied customers. We are paying a lot of attention to our professional development, but we are also honest with the parents and realistic. There is no place or no therapist that can treat everyone. We are making sure to serve our clients as best as possible, so we will not make promises, which we may not be able to fulfill. During the initial evaluation the therapist will verify if we are able to help. If not, we may recommend other professionals or clinics that will help the child better. Call us to check if we are able to give your child the support she/he needs. You may also browse our website to learn in what areas and approaches we do specialize.

Can we come and see your place before signing in for therapy?

Yes, please come and visit us. We will be happy to show you around and talk to you, but to make sure one of us will have time to chat with you, please give us a call beforehand. Because of the privacy reasons we do not allow outsiders to observe somebody's else therapy.

If we stop our child's therapy with you, may we come back after a while?

Yes, we will be happy to serve you again. However, please take a note that resuming the therapy will be treated as a new case i. e., you may have to wait for your appointment. Prior to renewing the services, your child will have to be assessed once again by our therapist.

What should I do if I want to schedule an appointment?

You may give us a call at 6733 6163 or 9721 0336/9737 6473. Please leave us a message if we are not able to pick up a phone and we will call you back as soon as we will be available. You may also send us an email to: info @ bubblebee.com.sg or use our contact form. Please be informed that our therapies always start at the full hour i.e., 10:00am and we do not offer appointments in half an hour i. e., 10:30am.
We are open on Tusedays to Saturdays, 9:00am to 6:00pm. We are closed on Mondays, Sundays and public holidays. Please note that Saturdays are very busy in BubbleBee and we may not be able to offer the slot to a new client, however we may place you on our waiting list. Give us a call to check our schedule and available slots. Once you book an appointment with us, please let us know if you are not able to make it. It will help us to serve you and other customers better.

 
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