The Cost of Speech Therapy for Toddlers
It’s true, speech therapy can be really expensive. But, it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Depending on your child’s age, diagnosis, and where you live, there are several lesser-known programs available that can provide extra support for your little one. So chances are, you have options. And in this post, our goal is to help you identify them!
Keep reading to learn how much private speech therapy costs for toddlers, and to get a breakdown of the more affordable options out there like early intervention, preschooler services, and university.
How Much Is Speech Therapy For Toddlers?
Depending on the programs and insurance coverage you have access to, speech therapy for toddlers can cost anywhere from $250 to $700 for an evaluation, and $100-$250 per hour for ongoing sessions, according to Cost Helper Health.
Why Are Speech Therapy Evaluations More Expensive?
Your first visit, called an evaluation, is where the speech language pathologist spends a lot of very intentional time determining whether or not your child would benefit from ongoing services. Because of its in-depth nature and the reports and therapeutic recommendations that accompany it, this appointment is always longer and costs more than your child’s regular, weekly speech therapy sessions.
Factors That Impact The Cost of Speech Therapy
#1 Insurance
A major factor that will impact how much you pay for your child’s speech therapy is your insurance coverage. Whether or not your child’s therapy is covered often depends on the medical diagnosis they receive from a doctor or specialist, and/or the treatment diagnosis provided by the speech therapist.
Sometimes, a treatment diagnosis like “expressive language delay” from a speech therapist will not be covered by your insurance, whereas a diagnosis of Autism will. It really depends on your individual insurance policy, so be sure to read the fine print as you investigate your options!
#2 Frequency
Another thing that can determine pricing is the frequency and duration of your child’s speech therapy sessions. The more your child participates in therapy, the more it will cost. And the longer the session, the higher the cost. But often, the frequency and duration of their treatments will be determined by their diagnosis—so it’s not necessarily as easy as just going less often, or for shorter amounts of time.
Tip: Some clinics will give you a price adjustment if your child is going multiple times per week! Be sure to ask or “shop around” at a few different clinics if pricing is a big consideration for your family.
#3 Location
Depending on where you’re located, the cost of speech therapy can vary quite a bit. This can be a result of differing costs of living (think private practice in New York vs. private practice in Arkansas), or because of a difference in the local programs that are available in different states.
#4 Age
Your child’s age can also impact the cost of speech therapy by changing the programs they have access to. Many programs for younger children, like early intervention (for age birth-three), are offered at no-cost.
Related: The Best Age for Speech Therapy
Speech Therapy Options for Toddlers in the United States
Speech therapy can be expensive, but it’s very likely that you have some options available to you. In Canada, for example, publicly funded speech therapy is provided at no cost to you (although there can be waiting lists, limits to what services you’re offered and for how long, and difficulty gaining access to SLPs in some parts of the country). Many Canadian families look into private therapy and some portion of this may be covered by your extended health insurance. In the United States, however, this isn’t always the case. So for the purpose of this blog post, we’ll focus on speech therapy options and costs for families in the United States—to help you get the therapy you need and make it as on-budget as possible.
Early Intervention
Price Range: Free
Age Range: Birth to 2 Years, 11 Months (35 Months)
Early intervention programs are such a wonderful resource and a great support to parents. They’re free for children from birth to 2 years, 11 months old, and every state has one. (Although the way they’re run can vary from state to state.)
It’s important to note that unfortunately, early intervention programs are often underfunded, so you might not be able to access speech therapy as soon—or as often—as you expect or need to. (In other words, depending on where you live, you may see long wait times or less-than-ideal frequencies of therapy sessions.) You can locate early intervention services in your state by visiting the CDC website.
Related: The Importance of Early Intervention
Preschool Services
Price Range: Free
Age Range: 3+
If your child is three years of age or older and has been deemed eligible to receive speech/language therapy through the public school system, Preschool Speech Therapy services will be provided to them at no cost to you.
It’s important to note, however, that like with early intervention programs, sometimes parents feel like the preschool services their children receive aren’t quite enough. As a result, some families decide to supplement these services with additional private therapy. If budget allows, you might choose to go this route, too!
Outpatient Clinics
Price Range: $$ - $$$
Age Range: All Ages
‘Outpatient Clinics’ can refer to hospitals, community clinics, large organizations or small organizations. They’re all different!
Typically, outpatient clinics will accept insurance. When this is the case, you’ll either pay a copay or, if you have a high deductible plan, you’ll pay the full amount until you meet your deductible. If you’re not using insurance at an outpatient clinic, you can inquire about out-of-pocket rates, which are typically cheaper, and/or payment plans.
Note: This isn’t always the case, but some outpatient clinics at hospitals bill at a higher rate than other local outpatient clinics. This might be important to factor in if you’re not going through your insurance.
Private Practice
Price Range: $$ - $$$
Age Range: All Ages
Private practice rates vary quite a bit, so we recommend calling a few reputable practices to ask their rates. Many will have price points that are quite high, but even if that’s the case, it’s worth considering that they tend to give you the benefits of shorter waitlists (if any), and the appointment frequency that works best for your child. Some even offer in-home services and other types of accommodations.
Related: What To Expect in Toddler Speech Therapy
It’s important to know that not all private practices accept insurance. Quite a few are private pay. That said, if you’re paying out of pocket, you can ask your speech therapist if they can give you a SuperBill, which contains all the data and information insurers typically need to create claims and has a better chance of being accepted by insurance companies. If your therapist can provide one, try to submit it! Sometimes the insurer will reimburse you a portion of the session fees. It’s worth a try!
University Options
Price Range: $ - $$
Age Range: All Ages
If finances are a bit tight and your child isn’t eligible for any of the free options in your community, contact your local colleges and universities! Several post-secondary institutions offer speech-language therapy at a lower cost, because it is conducted by graduate students who are pursuing master degrees as speech-language pathologists.
And don’t worry, this doesn’t mean your child will be receiving lower quality therapy! All graduate students are supervised by licensed speech therapists, which means they’re getting the eyes of 2 professionals on their case, instead of one—making it a really great option!
Support Your Toddler’s Speech Therapy At Home
If you’re currently on a waitlist for speech therapy or you want to supplement the services they’re receiving, you’ll love our TalkToddler course, which teaches you to help your child talk and communicate more at home.