Common Questions

Texas Talkers is in-network with Aetna and also offers private-pay services. Coverage and benefits vary by individual Aetna plan, so we recommend contacting Aetna to confirm your speech therapy benefits. For clients using other insurance plans, superbills are available to seek possible out-of-network reimbursement. We accept HSAs, FSAs, checks, cash, and all major credit and debit cards.

• Aetna: In-network; coverage and benefits vary by individual plan.
• Private pay: Available for clients who prefer to pay directly for services.
• Other insurance plans: Superbills are available on request for clients seeking possible out-of-network reimbursement.
• Payment methods: HSAs, FSAs, checks, cash, and all major credit and debit cards are accepted.

Speech evaluations are individualized and may include standardized and informal assessment, caregiver or client interviews, clinical observations, and functional communication assessment. Families and clients receive a written report with recommendations and next steps.

Speech therapy helps people improve speech, language, voice, fluency, feeding, or other communication-related skills. Treatment is tailored to the individual and may focus on making communication clearer, easier, and more functional in daily life. A speech-language evaluation can help determine what kind of support may be most helpful.

Speech-language pathology is the field focused on evaluating and treating communication and feeding-related needs across the lifespan. Speech-language pathologists may support areas such as speech, language, fluency, AAC, feeding, swallowing, and communication changes related to neurological conditions. Services are individualized based on each person's needs and goals.

Most clients are seen one time per week for 45 minute sessions, depending on age, attention, goals, and level of need.

Speech and language development can vary from child to child, and there is not always one clear reason why a child begins talking later or develops speech more slowly than expected. Some children may have difficulty learning or producing speech sounds, while others may have difficulty understanding language, using words and sentences, or both.

Speech or language delays may be associated with factors such as hearing differences, frequent or chronic ear infections, developmental language disorder, motor speech disorders such as childhood apraxia of speech, oral-motor differences, autism, genetic or developmental conditions, or broader developmental delays. In some cases, a child may have a speech or language delay without an identifiable underlying condition.

If a child is not meeting expected communication milestones, is difficult to understand, has trouble expressing wants and needs, or a parent simply has concerns about their development, a speech-language evaluation can help identify the child's strengths and areas of need and determine whether additional support may be beneficial.

A late talker is a young child, typically between 18 and 30 months, who is developing spoken language more slowly than expected for their age. Many late talkers understand language well and have age-appropriate play, social, and thinking skills, but use fewer words or word combinations than expected.

By around age 2, we look for a growing vocabulary and the ability to independently combine words into short phrases, such as "more milk," "Mommy go," or "big dog." One commonly used guideline for late language emergence is fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations by 24 months, although word count is only one part of a child's overall communication development.

Some late talkers catch up on their own, while others continue to have speech or language difficulties. If you're concerned about your child's communication, a speech-language evaluation can look at their words, understanding, gestures, play, interaction, and other early communication skills to determine whether monitoring or additional support may be helpful.

By age 2, many children are using around 50 words or more and beginning to combine two or more words into short phrases, such as "more milk," "Mommy go," or "big dog." They are also using language for different purposes, such as requesting, commenting, getting someone’s attention, and expressing their wants and needs.

There is a wide range of typical language development, and word count is only one piece of the picture. A speech-language pathologist also considers how a child understands language, learns new words, uses gestures, combines words, plays and interacts with others, and communicates during everyday activities.

If your 2-year-old is using fewer words than expected, is not beginning to combine words, has difficulty understanding language, or you simply have concerns about their communication, a speech-language evaluation can help you better understand their development and determine whether additional support may be helpful.

Stuttering is a fluency difference that is thought to involve multiple factors, including genetics, motor timing, and language development. It is not caused by poor parenting, shyness, or a child doing something wrong. A speech-language evaluation can help determine whether fluency support may be helpful. Learn more about stuttering therapy.

AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication, which includes tools and strategies that support communication in addition to or instead of spoken words. AAC can include gestures, picture systems, communication apps, or speech-generating devices, and it can support children or adults with a wide range of communication needs. Learn more about AAC.

Feeding therapy supports children who have difficulty with chewing, swallowing, trying a variety of foods, managing different textures, or participating successfully in mealtimes. Depending on the child's needs, therapy may address oral-motor and feeding skills, swallowing safety and function, food variety, and caregiver strategies to support mealtimes. An evaluation helps determine which areas of feeding or swallowing should be addressed. Learn more about feeding therapy.

Use the secure portal to request a speech evaluation or other services. We follow up to answer questions, review availability, and guide you through next steps.

Aphasia is a language disorder that can affect speaking, understanding, reading, or writing, often after a stroke or other neurological injury. It can look different from person to person and may affect word finding, sentence formulation, or comprehension. Learn more about aphasia therapy.

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder caused by weakness, reduced coordination, or changes in the muscles used for speech. Speech may sound slurred, quiet, slow, or harder to understand depending on the person and the underlying condition. Learn more about dysarthria therapy.