+ What does a typical therapy session look like?

Caregiver updates therapist on progress, challenges and medical changes
Child and therapist work on functional, dynamic skills through fun, engaging activities
Caregiver may come back for all or part of the session depending on child’s needs
Caregiver and child will leave with activities to build on

+ What should I expect for an evaluation?

Registration paperwork should be completed, if not will need to be completed that day
Caregiver should plan on being present during entire evaluation
Child’s medical history reviewed
Caregiver and/or child share their concerns with therapist
Therapist examines child using appropriate tests and measures. These include looking at a child’s strength, how well they move their head, arms and legs, etc. This assessment should not be painful.
Therapist shares initial findings of evaluation with caregiver and child
Caregiver and child help establish functional goals; as well as how often therapy will occur, with therapist

APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy (APPT) Fact Sheet comparing school-based and clinic-based physical therapy services:

No, not necessarily. There are several factors the influence this decision, including:
Insurance coverage
Financial resources (co-pays)
Transportation
Time
Complexity of child’s needs/diagnosis
Age of child (i.e. older children may tolerate and benefit from additional therapy)
Additional resources needed (i.e. equipment, space, provider with specific certifications, etc.)

APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy (APPT) Fact Sheet comparing school-based and clinic-based physical therapy services: http://pediatricapta.org/includes/fact-sheets/pdfs/15%20PT%20for%20Educational%20Benefit.pdf

No, not necessarily. There are several factors the influence this decision, including:

Financial resources (co-pays)
Insurance coverage
Transportation
Time
Change in medical status (i.e. recent surgeries, BoTox, etc.)
Decrease in strength
New activity (i.e. sport or recreational)
This link: https://www.southpaw.com/taking-on-a-team-approach-the-school-based-therapist-and-outpatient-therapist

Explains why it may be beneficial for a child to receive both school-based and clinic physical therapy services from a therapist’s perspective

Please follow the following steps for your child to become a new Community-STARs client:

For 'PT Evaluation and Treatment' or ‘OT Evaluation and Treatment’ or ‘SLP Evaluation and Treatment’ with diagnosis code(s). This can be faxed to Community-STARs at (540) 595-3482 or you can bring it with you to the evaluation appointment. We are not able to evaluate your child without a prescription and some insurances require this to be from the primary care provider and not only from a specialist.