The Therapy Process
What actually happens, from your first call through the day your child no longer needs us.
Whether your child is new to therapy or coming back to it, knowing the shape of the process makes the first visit easier. Here is how it works at Tumble N' Dots, step by step.
The four steps
Inquiry, evaluation, therapy, and discharge. Every family moves through the same four, at their own pace.
Initial inquiry
You call or come in for a tour and talk with our clinical staff about what you are seeing. We answer your questions and walk you through intake and the forms we need.
Evaluation
We build a picture of your child through standardized assessment, observation, and a conversation with you. It ends with a written report and a meeting to go through it together.
Therapy
Weekly sessions worked around written goals, with a parent consult every two months and a full re-evaluation every six.
Discharge
When your child has met their goals, we transition out deliberately rather than stopping abruptly, and you are welcome back any time.
Step 1: Initial inquiry
We know the first call is often the hardest part. You are handing over something that matters more to you than anything else, to people you have not met yet.
- Talk to clinical staff, not a call center. The person you speak with can actually answer questions about your child.
- Come see the place. A tour lets you see the gyms and meet the team before you commit to anything.
- Bring your concerns and your questions. Whatever prompted you to look us up is exactly what we want to hear about.
- We handle intake with you. We complete a thorough intake and the forms that get your child started on the right footing.
Step 2: Evaluation
The therapy itself begins with understanding your child. We talk about their needs, their milestones, and what you want for them, and we listen and document what you tell us. That information shapes the whole treatment plan.
If your child already has a valid evaluation that is less than 10 months old, send it to us. We can often use it to gather what we need and set goals, rather than putting your child through testing again. Once an evaluation passes about 10 months, your child's skill level may be quite different, so a fresh one helps us target the right goals rather than outdated ones.
The three core visits
- Consult evaluation. Standardized assessments that establish a baseline of where your child is and what is hard for them.
- Clinical observations. Standardized tests do not always capture what a child can actually do in real situations. This visit cross-references the initial evaluation so the goals we write are the right ones.
- Family meeting. Our therapist presents the full report to you, takes your feedback, and finalizes the plan together with you.
- The written report includes the recommended treatment plan, the goals, how often and how long we recommend your child be seen, and anything else that matters to the work ahead.
Step 3: Therapy
Sessions are built around the concrete goals in the treatment plan. Plans are typically written around three-month and six-month goals, and goals get refined along the way as your child changes.
How we keep you in the loop
- Two-month parent consults. Every two months we sit down to review progress against the plan, hear from the people in your child's daily routine, and set new goals where they are warranted.
- Six-month re-evaluations. Every six months we repeat standardized assessment to measure what has changed and surface any new concerns. The treatment plan is updated, and a parent consult goes with it.
Our case management approach
We collaborate with everyone else involved in your child's care rather than working in isolation. In practice that means:
- Reviewing your child's educational, medical, and social and emotional history
- Identifying the family goals that matter most and building around them
- Integrating and making the most of the supports your child already has
- Collaborating with the other professionals and important people in your child's life
- Bringing observation, modifications, adaptations, and tools into every environment your child is in
- Setting up home programs and parent resources, then checking how they are going
Step 4: Discharge
Ending therapy well matters as much as starting it well. When your child has met their goals, we do not simply stop. We move into a transitional care program designed to make sure the gains hold.
- A transitional period, so progress is not lost the moment weekly sessions end.
- A final consultation that includes a formal re-evaluation.
- An updated home program you can keep using after discharge.
- A discharge summary for your records and for anyone else working with your child.
We care about you and your child from the first appointment through discharge and after it. If something comes up later, you are welcome to come back to us.
Insurance questions
Tumble N' Dots is not part of any insurance network. We are an out-of-network provider, which means we do not bill your insurance company directly.
- You receive a detailed superbill twice a month, on the 1st and the 15th, with all the insurance codes needed to seek reimbursement.
- Superbills are always in your parent portal, so you are never waiting on us for a copy.
- You submit it, your insurer pays you. Rates vary by plan, and insurers reimburse families directly rather than paying us.
- Occupational therapy and speech therapy are generally eligible FSA and HSA expenses.
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to get started?
How long is a session, and how often will we come?
Do I have to repeat an evaluation we already did?
Can I be in the room during sessions?
How will I know whether therapy is working?
What happens if my child is not making progress?
How do you decide when my child is done?
Can we come back after discharge?
Do you take insurance?
Do you talk to my child's school or doctor?
Where to go next
See all pediatric therapy services for what we treat, or read more about how we work.
- Evaluations and consultations for what the evaluation itself involves.
- Pediatric occupational therapy for fine motor, self-care, motor planning, and regulation.
- Our therapy team for who your child would be working with.
- Reimbursement guide for how families handle the insurance side.
Start with a tour
Come see the clinic, meet our clinical staff, and ask whatever you need to ask. If you do not have a valid evaluation from the last 10 months, we will start with one. If you do, send it over and we will go from there.