Choosing the right therapist for your child can be a daunting task. Many factors can influence your child’s progress, and it’s not always easy to tell who will best facilitate growth. Discover five factors to consider when hiring a speech therapist.

Level of Experience

Of course, general experience is a good qualification to consider. While we have nothing against people who are fresh out of school, having years of experience under your belt can make a huge difference in the outcome of therapy. But it’s even more important to focus on what kinds of therapy your child needs and how much experience potential therapists have in those areas.

Kid-Friendliness

If you’re looking for a therapist for your child, you want to make sure that the therapist you hire is good with kids. Preferably, you’d want someone who specializes in working with children. People who only work with adults may not have the patience required to nurture children and keep them on-task.

Hours and Availability

Since most kids can’t sit still for very long, it’s important to ask how long a typical session lasts. If your child can’t stay focused as long as the therapist wants, you might want to try looking for a different one.

One factor to consider when hiring a speech therapist is the therapist’s availability. If your child spends the day in school or at daycare, it might be harder to schedule therapy times. Look for someone who’s available in the afternoons, or possibly in the evenings.

Commitment Policy

One of the scariest parts of hiring a therapist is signing up for a commitment and paying ahead. What happens if your child and the therapist don’t get along? What if you don’t like the therapist’s methods? While you can try to get as much information ahead of time as possible, it’s prudent to ask what the commitment policy is like and under what circumstances refunds are allowed.

Online vs. In-Person Therapy

You may not be aware, but there are two kinds of speech therapy programs. Some therapists require you to come to a physical location, while others, like Linguabilities, offer virtual speech pathologist appointments. Online therapy gives you more control over choosing your child’s therapist since you’re not limited to whoever is available in your area.

If you think your child would be more comfortable with at-home speech therapy, contact Linguabilities. We’ve designed all our therapy programs with virtual learning for children in mind.