I am not sure which initial consultation format to choose. Any advice?
There are Four types of initial appointments for child/teen evaluations.
(for fees on services-->Go)
-
Comprehensive: In-Person only
- Per Service: In-Person, Teleconference
- School Evaluations/504 or IEP
Development
- Ask the Doc: NON-patient consultation.
ALL initial consultations
(Comprehensive and Per Service Evaluations) include evaluation of various parent/teacher assessment forms, review of past (relevant) records, parent Interview, child evaluation (In person/Video) and, in some cases, IEP/504 review and/or discussion with outside treatment professionals and/or school personnel.
1. Comprehensive Evaluation:
This format is for children who require
a full evaluation and comprehensive report
Ideal for children who have never been diagnosed, for children who have been diagnosed but past treatment has failed or minimal progress has been made and parent would like another full evaluation/report. This is also IDEAL for families who are NOT able to present to the SMart Center for ongoing Follow-UP appointments.
The comprehensive report is an excellent way to provide detailed information to other treating professionals and/or school personnel working with your child.
Comprehensive Evaluation appointments are approximately 2+ hrs.
Additional time is spent evaluating multiple parent/teacher assessment forms, past records and developing the Comprehensive Report.
Dr. Shipon-Blum's Comprehensive Report consists of: A of summary of relevant history, summary of child evaluation results, explanation of child's stages of social communication from setting to setting, Assessment results (explanation of results of SM CDQ, and symptom inventory, multiple 'anxiety' forms (parent/teacher), summary of etiology (causes), precipitating and propagating factors, Diagnosis (if applies) and specific recommendations for home/school, approach to treatment, Detailed handouts with beginning goal/game charts and treatment follow-up recommendations.
Please read
IMPORTANT information regarding your initial
Appointment
2. Per Service Consultation:
This format is ideal for:
- Families who are searching for 'additional recommendations' and a different treatment approach and simply need to 'just begin' a new treatment or need treatment advice.
- For school personnel in need of advice on their students current social communication status and recommendations for school based accommodations and interventions.
- Second opinions, evaluations to rule in/out SM, evaluations without a ' detailed report.' school accommodation recommendations, (504 plans, IEP plans, school oriented questions) or treatment recommendations/questions, letter writing, expert testifying, etc.
This consult is ideal for children who have already had comprehensive evaluations/report and treatment in the past.
Following the evaluation, families or school personnel will receive a written or grid-like Appointment Summary
that depends on the format most relevant to the child or student.
Per Service consultations are based on time and include a necessary review of
multiple assessments (anxiety, communication, parenting/school reports). Dr. E
will provide an appointment summary/report that includes development of
beginning goals/games. The average time in the office is usually two hours with
Dr. E ( but one hour appointments can be arranged).
For in-school evaluations, the average time within the school is usually two hours, one hour observing the child and 1-2 hours consulting with school personnel.
Please read IMPORTANT information regarding your
initial Appointment
3. School evaluations.
On-site evaluations are available in certain areas of PA, NJ, NY and DE. A
Smart Center staff will present at the child's school, observe the child and meet with school personnel to discuss findings and suggest school based accommodations, interventions. If requested, our staff can be present for 504 and IEP meetings either at the school or via arranged teleconference. ** Similar to Per Service Consultation above.
Interested in 504 or IEP recommendations? If
so, this can often be done without an in-school evaluation.
Please read IMPORTANT information regarding your
initial Appointment
4. Ask the Doc consultation
An Ask the doc consultation is a nonpatient consultation that is ideal for parents, school personnel or treatment professionals who are interested in a Question/Answer type consultation.
This format is ideal for:
- Parent are in active treatment with a local therapist but have unanswered questions or need more advice.
- School personnel who have specific questions related to a student with SM.
- Treatment professionals who are working directly with a child or teen with SM and are in need of advice on treatment strategies and direction.
The Ask the Doc format includes a the assessment of a brief questionnaire. There are no reports or summaries following the Ask the Doc consultation; however, handouts may be provided.
There is NO Dr/Patient relationship established with an ASK THE DOC consult.
What is the process for scheduling an appointment?
You should contact our office via email: smartcenter@selectivemutism.org or call our front desk at: 215-887-5748. Provide your email and other contact information.
We will then contact you back via EMAIL or phone depending upon your requests.
Once we schedule you an appointment we will send you an email (or letter if requested) that will include ALL of your appointment details. You will be given instructions on what is required for your consultation in terms of specific assessment forms, etc.
Due to the tremendous demand on our services, we require a $100 deposit to hold your scheduled appointment.
This deposit is refundable, minus $30 administrative fee, if you cancel your appointment prior to 2 weeks of your scheduled date. If you cancel within 2 weeks, you forfeit your initial deposit regardless of the reason. If your child is ill or you have another urgent situation, we will do our best to reschedule you however, we cannot guarantee a time frame for rescheduling. NO-SHOW appointments forfeit their deposit with no chance for rescheduling.
Your Deposit must be received within ONE week of scheduling (postmarked). This is the families responsibility. Your deposit guarantees your appointment slot. If we do not receive your deposit within one week (postmarked), your appointment will be cancelled and another family will take your scheduled date/ time.
What if after I choose the Ask the Doc initial format, I decide to pursue regular treatment?
This happens often. Families will need to fill out the SM-CDQ, the SM School Eval form and perhaps other recommended assessment forms. Depending upon what was accomplished during the Ask the Doc consultation, your clinician will, at the minimum, need to fully evaluate your child. Patients are billed via an hourly rate.
Can I schedule and appointment with a particular doctor or therapist?
You can certainly make a request for a specific treatment professional however, based on scheduling and a professional's availability will dictate whether we can honor your request. You will be informed at the time of appointment scheduling who you will be seeing at the SMart
Center.
I am very interested in speaking to parents who have gone through treatment at the SMart Center. Is this possible?
Very possible and also highly recommended! Dr. E and our other clinicians have
wonderful relationships with the children and parents she works with and most
are more than happy to correspond with another parent who is 'in the same shoes'
they were in not too long ago. . Please speak to your doctor or therapist about
this during your consultation. We will match you with another parent or a few
parents with a child similar to yours!
We highly encourage
parents to communicate with other parents since support from parents who have
gone thru the treatment process or are presently in treatment can be an
invaluable asset to you!
We encourage patients to communicate with other children/teens who have had SM or who are still undergoing treatment. Your therapist or doctor will mention this to you during your consultation. if your child desires a pen pal, we will do our best to find a match for your child!
Follow-Up Consultations:
HOW often are children/teens seen for follow-up visits?
MOST children/teens are seen every 3 weeks with Dr. Shipon-Blum. For children/teens who need more frequent follow-ups visits can be scheduled every 2 weeks. Associates at the Smart Center are also available for
clinical follow-ups for families who request more frequent visits.
For
patients who are undergoing S/L treatment, follow-ups are based on an individual
need and range from weekly to biweekly.
What is included in a follow-up consultation?
---->
GO
Why is my child NOT seen weekly or multiple times weekly?
Dr. E's clinical experience dictates that children need time in-between sessions to work on treatment goals/games both at home,
in the Real World and within the school setting.
Therefore, children are usually seen every
3 weeks at the SMart Center.
What If I want my child to be seen more frequently or I feel I need more help with the games/goals can this be done?
Of course. When you consult with Dr. E (or associates) please mention this. We will then schedule accordingly.
We have clinical staff who can work with you to implement your
games/goals.
In addition, we offer
convenience consultations and
E-mail
consultations with Dr. E to go over specific questions you may have
in-between regularly scheduled vistis.
Bottom line, Your needs will be met at the Smart Center. We are conscious of the varied needs of our families. We will do our best to accommodate all!
What If I feel I need an appointment outside of my regular scheduled appointment. Ie, some issues have come up or I have additional questions. HOW is this handled?
NO worries. We offer our patients the flexibility of what we call,
convenience consultations
These are appointments that are scheduled no more than two weeks in advance and are on a first come/first served basis. These appointments range from 15-60 min
(depending upon need/time availability)
If more time is needed, we can extend assuming time is available. These appointments are usually a teleconference
consultation, but in-person consultations are available for those who request.
If interested in a
convenience consultations , Please call our Direct Patient Line (supplied to all our patients and located in the Established Patient Section of our website) or email us at: smartcenter@selectivemutism.org.
We will then schedule you accordingly.
Where can I locate the Follow-Up forms that need to be filled out and how do I submit them?
Access to
follow-up forms
Directions on submission are indicated on the link above.
You will also be supplied the link to the SM- Follow Up Forms when our office sends you an email confirmation. This is approximately 3-7 days prior to your appt.
You can also access the SM-Follow Up Questionnaire directly from the first page of our website. Simply click on 'Smart Center patients---> Established patients--> You will see the link to the FOLLOW-UP forms on the top right side of the grid.
How do I schedule my Follow-Up appointments?
Please email our scheduling dept at: SMartCenter@selectivemutism.org
or call our direct patient line at: 215-886-6090.
We will then contact you back by email or phone and begin the scheduling process!
If you prefer telephone correspondence, please call our Direct Patient Line (Provided to all our established patients and located in the Established Patient section of our website). You can reach our Front Desk Call Center at: 215-887-5748
What is the office policy for appointment canceling?
We ask that families advise of our appointment cancellations or the
need to change appointment times ASAP. This is out of courtesy for
families in need of treatment.
Obviously children will get sick, travel may be difficult due to weather, etc.
However, we ask that if you need to change or cancel an appt that you give us as much notice as possible. As you know, we have a long waiting list for appointments and the sooner you let us know, we can inform another patient in need that an appt space has opened up.
If a parent has cancelled with minimal notice more than 50% of the time, we will ask for payment upfront and patients will be responsible for an office visit charge.
If a new patient (a patient scheduled for an initial consultation or a patient who has been under our care for less than 2 months) does not show-up for a confirmed appt, no new appointments will be scheduled unless full payment is made in advance.
Our policies are strict since Dr. E has limited office time and our demand for services is high
Payment and Insurance
information