Pediatric Potentials

FAQs

What is Pediatric Potentials?

Pediatric Potentials is a privately owned therapy center providing occupational and physical therapy for children ages birth to late adolescence. All practitioners are highly experienced in their fields. We provide our services in a state of the art, 4000 square foot facility with individual treatment rooms along with a sensory integration gym facility, a motor gym, and yoga room.

What services do you offer?

In addition to providing a full range of pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy (including short term interventions for patients with Plagiocephaly and Torticollis), computer assistive technology, and are providers of sound therapies (including The Listening Program and REI), Interactive Metronome, and oral motor therapy. A pediatric certified occupational therapist provides therapeutic yoga on an individual basis or as Mom and Me yoga. Physical therapists provide Fitness Fundamentals to enable students to develop and maintain cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition. Click here for a complete list of services.

We offer parent developmental education classes for children from birth - six months of age.
Individual parents consultations and coaching led by our licensed therapists can also be arranged to assist with implementing home programs, modifying home environments, or working with schools to provide an enhanced program for your child. Additionally, school consultations can be arranged.

Occasional parent forums as well as full day workshops on topics of interest are also conducted by our therapists or outside consultants.

Two office coordinators run the office with empathy and efficiency, available to assist you with administrative questions and concerns.

Note: We do not provide psychological services, learning assessments, educational tutoring, or speech therapy. We do make referrals to outside practitioners in those fields.

Why is my child being recommended for occupational therapy?

There are many reasons for referral and many sources of referral. Please see the “red flag” lists contained in the discussions of sensory processing, gross motor/motor planning, fine motor/handwriting, visual spatial/perceptual motor, and oral sensory/oral motor under Occupational Therapy. Sometimes a parent, pediatrician, teacher, friend, therapist, etc., will notice differences in your child's development and performance that should be explored.

Does my child need occupational therapy?

The determination of need for services is made by the referral source in conjunction with a review of evaluation findings and parent input. The child's profile is individual and there is not always a cut and dry answer. Not every child who is seen for an evaluation will require treatment.

Why is my child being recommended for physical therapy?

There are many reasons for referral and many sources of referral. Please see, as an example the “red flag” list contained in the discussions of gross motor skills under Physical Therapy. Sometimes a parent, pediatrician, teacher, friend, therapist, etc., will notice differences in your child's development and performance that should be explored.

Does my child need physical therapy?

What happens during the initial visit?

Typically, the therapist will have a phone conversation with the parent prior to the initial visit to prepare for your child's evaluation. If there are previous reports or written information available, your therapist may request a review of that information as well.

We have a detailed parent information packet that we request you complete at, or prior to, the initial session. These forms can be found here. By taking the time to complete this material before the initial visit, your therapist’s understanding of your child during the first visit will be greatly enhanced. It will also help you formulate thoughts regarding your concerns about your child's strengths and weaknesses.

On the day of the appointed first visit, you and your child will enter our child friendly waiting area. Please make yourself comfortable until your therapist greets you. You will then all go to a private room where the therapist will begin getting to know you and your child. If your child is school age, you may opt to remain in the waiting area while the therapist is meeting with your child.

Your child will be seen by the therapist who has contacted you. That therapist will begin the assessment process. Assessment with children often looks like play. Children often do not realize that they are being evaluated. Some children ask when can they sign up for more classes. The first sessions(s) are designed to assess your child's level of functioning in both gross and fine motor skills, sensory processing, daily living and play skills, and to determine factors that may interfere with age appropriate skill acquisition. Generally the sessions are about 1 hour and combine structured and unstructured activities.

You are always welcome to accompany your child into the testing rooms. With younger children this is encouraged, as you know your child best and issues of separation can be minimized. Many rooms have one-way mirrors, so that you can observe assessment and treatment if that is your preference.

Our goal is to help you and your child feel as comfortable and playful as possible. While we understand that the process is stressful for all, we do our best to minimize stress and maintain open communication.

How frequently and for how long will my child need occupational or physical therapy?

Each child and situation is unique. Most children receiving therapy come on a regular basis, usually once a week for a one-hour session over a period of time. Some receive additional therapies at other facilities, while at school, or privately in the home. The duration of treatment will be determined by your therapist with your input.

What are your hours of operation?

Therapy treatments occur weekdays from the hours of approximately 9:30 am - 6:30 pm Monday through Friday. Each therapist maintains their own schedule of hours. Therapy and computer sessions may also occur on Saturday and Sundays, depending on the schedule of the individual therapist

Pediatric Potentials is open 12 months a year. Summer schedules are sometimes altered to accommodate children’s camp and vacation schedules and therapist vacations.

All therapists arrange their schedules directly with the families.

What is your policy regarding attendance and cancellations?

Effective care requires a commitment from the child's family. Regular attendance is necessary for therapy sessions to be meaningful and effective. Working together as a team, we can accomplish the best outcomes for your children and family. Home strategies are also often recommended.

Reasons for absence should therefore be limited to parent or child illness or other family emergency situations. If you or your child is ill, we prefer that you cancel rather than spread illness. Exposure to upper respiratory, flu, chicken pox and other infectious diseases are dangerous to some of our students and adults. Cancellations should be made as far in advance as possible, and prior to your child's designated therapy time.

It is at the discretion of the therapist to charge for missed appointments, particularly if there are frequent, last minute cancellations.

If your child is absent from therapy 25% of the time, or more, for two consecutive months, or there is an extended pattern of non-attendance, your therapist may discontinue your appointed time. We encourage you to communicate frequently with your therapist in order to best accommodate your child's particular needs and to try to prevent disruptions in your child’s care. While it is often difficult for your therapist to find other openings each week, missed sessions should be rescheduled if at all possible.

My child received an evaluation last year. Do I need another one?

Typically, the therapist will review any documentation on your child's situation that is available, including a previous evaluation. If the evaluation was conducted more than a year ago, another evaluation may be recommended. This will be determined by the therapist.

In order to get to know your child and set treatment plans, a baseline assessment will be necessary during the first visit(s). None of our testing is painful or invasive.

What form of payment is accepted?

We accept checks, cash or all major credit cards. When paying by check or cash, payment is due upon date of service. Credit card charges are processed at the end of the month and will appear on your monthly statement.

Do you accept insurance?

We do not participate in any provider networks but provide a detailed billing receipt, or "superbill," at the completion of each session. This can be submitted to your insurance company for their consideration if you have out-of-network coverage. Under certain circumstances, additional documentation for insurance purposes can be provided upon written request. As your therapeutic care provider, our ongoing relationship is with you and your family, not your insurance company. Charges for therapy are the responsibility of the child's parent and/or caregiver and are due at the time service is provided.

We suggest that you retain copies of all materials that are sent to your insurance company. It may also be helpful to have contact with your carrier prior to the first visit to establish their procedures for submitting evaluation and treatment bills.

Do most insurance companies cover occupational and physical therapy?

It depends. We recommend contacting your insurance provider and discussing coverage with them.

Effective February 2010, many NJ health plans are now required to provide coverage for Autism and Developmental Disabilities that was not provided previously. Required coverages now include:

Coverage for expenses incurred in screening and diagnosing autism or another developmental disability;

Coverage for expenses incurred for medically necessary physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services for the treatment of autism or another developmental disability and;

Coverage for expenses incurred for medically necessary behavioral interventions based on the principles of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and related structured behavioral programs for treatment of autism in individuals under 21 years old; and

Coverage for the “Family Cost Share” expense incurred for certain health care services obtained through the New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS). Eligible expenses are those associated with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and behavioral interventions based on ABA or related structured behavior services when provided to a child diagnosed with autism or other developmental disability.

Ask us for further information about this law if you believe your child may be entitled to additional benefits.

I have a prescription from my child's physician. Do I need to submit it to the therapist?

Occupational and Physical Therapists are licensed by the State of New Jersey and do not require written physician's prescription for assessment and treatment. A written prescription may be helpful to assist you in collecting reimbursement from your insurance carrier if you do have a medical diagnosis prior to your initial visit. Should you have a prescription, we suggest that you make a copy of the prescription and submit the original to the insurance company. Save the copy for your records. The therapist can also keep a copy in your child's file. A prescription does not guarantee reimbursement.

Do you have a waiting list?

There is high demand for after school hours. Children with flexibility in their schedules can usually be accommodated more rapidly. Our New Patient Coordinator will work with you to find an available time slot. Contact us (and leave your email and daytime phone number) and we will return your call promptly.

At Pediatric Potentials, to ensure our standard of care, we do most of our therapies on a one-to-one basis with highly skilled and experienced therapists. We are committed to providing the best treatment for your child's specific needs. Scheduling is based on the time of day the child is available, child's needs, family schedule, therapist's schedule and therapist's areas of specialization.