Frequently Asked Questions
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) focuses on helping children with a motor, sensory processing, attentional, regulatory or cognitive challenge be as functional and independent as possible in all areas of their lives. OT can help children not only improve these skills- it can also improve their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
A child's main job is playing and learning. Sometimes, motor, sensory processing, attentional, regulatory or cognitive barriers interrupt this job. An occupational therapist can evaluate a child’s skills as compared to their peers- and recommend the necessary steps for helping them reach age appropriate levels for play, school performance, and daily activities.
What type of therapy do you provide?
TeeKoz Kids is an innovative occupational therapy practice that provides assessment and intervention services to children with a variety of developmental delays (sensory, motor, attentional/regulatory, genetic and/or social). Many of these children have challenges that affect their ability to sleep, eat, move, play, attend and interact with others.
What specific areas/challenges do you address?
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Sensory processing
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Fine motor
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Gross motor
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Visual motor
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Self-care
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Motor planning
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Neuromotor
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Regulation
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Behavioral challenges
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Attention
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Social interactions
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Communication as it relates to interactions
How do I know if my child needs Occupational Therapy?
All children develop at their own pace, however, there can be foundational problems that impact their motor development, social interactions, play, and availability for learning. You may be wondering if your child's challenges warrant consulting with a professional. These questions may help you decide:
My child:
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Has difficulty with the basics: dressing, bathing, eating, grooming, sleep, toileting, transitioning
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Does not react typically to sounds, movement, touch, smell, taste or visual input
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Is more challenged than peers by fine motor skills
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Is more challenged than peers by gross motor skills
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Is overly clumsy/ does not seem to know where his/her body is in space
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Often leans into surfaces, people or joints/ needs to lie on the floor while playing
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Has difficulty organizing belongings, thoughts or self
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Has difficulty doing multi-step activities
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Struggles to sit still and focus
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Displays rigid or inconsistent behavior/ Is described as being “inflexible”
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Has difficulty regulating levels of arousal, emotions or behaviors
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Has difficulty keeping his/her mind and body calm and organized
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Is more challenged than peers with complying with limits, when plans change or when there are unexpected changes in routines
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Needs to be in control to the point that it affects daily functioning
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Understands tasks, but often states, "I can't"
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Struggles with or avoids social interactions and can't seem to make or keep friends
How do I determine if I need an evaluation or a consultation?
An evaluation will give you a complete and detailed look at all of the pieces of your child's developmental "puzzle". It begins with a 1.5-2 hour clinical assessment followed by a comprehensive report and parent meeting. Parents will have time to review the report prior to the meeting to digest the information and generate questions. Many times, the goals are established as a team at the meeting to ensure that they are an integral and functional part of the child and family's daily life.
A consultation is used to get the "big picture" of a child's primary needs and to determine the best course of action to help them and their family. We often recommend an additional session with parents to review our findings, observations, recommendations and goals. There is no written report for consultations.
* If you are submitting to insurance, it is important to find out from your insurance company if you are required to submit an evaluation in order to request coverage of services.
How do I get started?
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To begin, reach out to our TeeKoz team at info@teekozkids.com or call (301)933-5688; briefly describe your concerns and/or needs.
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If you're ready to get the process started include your name, your child's name and email address and a link to our introductory paperwork will be sent directly to you.
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If you have any questions regarding the therapeutic process, occupational therapy in general or our approach, please share the best way to contact you and one of our team members will reach out to you.
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Once the introductory paperwork is complete, scheduling for the initial evaluation/consultation or session can be made.
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Following the initial service, we will work collaboratively to determine the best plan of care moving forward.
What do I tell my child?
In our experience it is best to keep it very simple. The treatment spaces look very much like an indoor playground with swings, ball pits and climbing structures. Some families describe it as exercise, play or training. We have been called coaches, teachers, therapists, and trainers. It can be very situation and/or family dependent as to how you approach this topic with your child- but keeping it positive, encouraging and simple will help to decrease any stress your child may feel venturing in to this new experience.
How long will my child need OT?
Each child is individual and their course of therapy is different. Factors determining the length of therapy can vary, but often include the number and significance of challenges that your child is experiencing, how quickly your child progresses, and the frequency of sessions scheduled (higher frequency typically yields faster progress). Although this question is difficult to answer before getting to know what each child's progress rate is, therapists will have a better gauge and can give their professional opinions after therapy has begun. We welcome open communication throughout the therapeutic process.
What ages do you treat?
We specialize in treating children from birth to early school age however, we do treat some older children with specialized challenges. Please contact us directly if you have an older child.
How long is each session?
Our sessions typically run for 50-55 minutes, allowing 5-10 minutes at the end of each session for your therapist to summarize the progress and provide suggestions for carryover at home.
What is the frequency of OT sessions?
Recommendations for the appropriate frequency of treatment sessions will be given by the treating therapist and may change over time, depending on the needs of the child and family. Although we will share our best clinical opinions, we respect and value your perspective as a parent.
Does TeeKoz Kids accept insurance?
Although we are not providers for any insurance companies and do not accept payment from companies for services, we have had many families over the years that have been able to get some level of reimbursement for therapy. We highly recommend that all families who will be submitting claims for insurance coverage contact their provider to find out what their specific plan covers and the process required to get coverage.
Your monthly invoice will include dates of service, CPT and diagnostic codes. When needed, we will gladly share pertinent information about our therapy services (plan of care and/or completion of insurance forms) at no charge. However, for requests that require more than 15 minutes of time, an additional charge will be incurred.
Feedback from families over the years has indicated that the keys to insurance reimbursement are:
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Understanding your policy
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Keeping notes on dates/times/contact person/information shared for any communication with your company
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Following up and not giving up
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The squeaky door gets fixed!
How does payment work?
At TeeKoz Kids billing is done monthly, when you complete your intake paperwork you will be asked to provide a form of payment. This card will be run at midnight on the 1st of the month for any services rendered the month prior; for example, for any services rendered in June, your card will be run at midnight on July 1st. This occurs automatically, so you will not need to take any action.
On the first of the month you will receive a notification that an invoice has been uploaded to your portal, this can provide an opportunity to review the invoice before it is processed at midnight. Once the card on file has been run a statement for insurance reimbursement or "superbill" will be uploaded to your portal. This is the document you will submit to insurance for reimbursement.
If at anytime you have questions or need to update the card on file, please contact us at billing@teekozkids.com.
How do I access my client portal?
To access your client portal, visit our website (www.teekozkids.com) click on “client portal”, it will then prompt you to enter the email address you used to complete your intake paperwork. Once you provide that it will send you a unique link via email to access your secure client portal. This link will work for 24 hours, after that period you will need to follow the above steps again to access the portal. Simple Practice uses a password-less system for increased security.