A: Academic success relies on a foundation of good language skills upon which reading and writing skills can be built. By helping your child develop effective communication skills, you’ll provide him or her with a strong foundation for other learning and help build his or her self-confidence.

A: The speech and reading therapy offered at CRT is designed to meet the needs of students who don’t master language skills at the same rate as their peers. Reading, writing, spelling, and speaking clearly do not come easily for all students, for a variety of reasons. If your child is behind other students his or her age in language skills, therapy may be the best choice for him or her.

A: Often, students who have fallen behind their peers in language skills will learn only if they are taught intensively with a multi-sensory, explicit, systematic approach. Our reading therapists have been trained in Orton Gillingham methods to provide a multi-sensory approach to reading instruction. Studies have shown that months of intensive instruction using such an approach can raise reading skills to levels that may have taken years with traditional methods. This proven approach is used at CRT, and we’ve helped dozens of students find success.

A: We begin by performing an individual evaluation to assess each student’s particular needs. Each evaluation utilizes lesson plans and approaches that will be successful with that student’s learning style in mind. This evaluation is completed with standardized tests based on national normative data.

When the evaluation is completed, CRT provides a consultation and individualized treatment if necessary, with customized lesson plans for each therapy session. This approach, along with multi-sensory tools used by our staff, improves reading skills and the student’s self-confidence more rapidly than other programs.

Our individualized approach allows a student to receive immediate reinforcement for his or her successes and immediate attention to his or her deficits. By gathering information about each student’s individual strengths and weaknesses, we’re able to develop appropriate future lesson plans and therapy techniques, which is critical for progress.

A: We are out-of-network providers for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. However, each plan’s coverage varies widely and therefore each client is responsible for all service charges regardless of the insurance company’s level of coverage. To find out whether your child’s therapy will be covered, contact your insurance provider. You may be reimbursed for services through your flexible spending account

A: At CRT, we understand the many demands on busy families and parents. With this in mind, CRT has agreements with many private schools for our therapists to conduct therapy as a scheduled part of a child’s school day. This arrangement alleviates the need for parents to arrange for transportation from school to another site, which can be a major issue for some parents. In addition, therapy sessions are also offered during the summer at our conveniently located office in Vestavia just off Highway 31.