Our therapy program is structured on an academic year calendar followed by a summer program. There are separate registrations and different office policies for these two programs. This allows families the opportunity to keep a consistent, ongoing schedule for weekly sessions throughout the school year, as well as the opportunity to change that timeslot over the summer, due to the fact that many children take vacations, camps or other special programs that may disrupt their usual schedule.

Our 2009-2010 academic year program runs from Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 through June 12, 2010.

First Step in Getting Services at Our Practice: If you are interested in scheduling an appointment for an assessment or therapy for your child, please fill out the Request for Services and mail or fax it back to our office, but do not include payment at this time. We will read your paperwork and learn more about the nature of your child’s difficulties, which will help us decide which speech pathologists would be an appropriate match. Within a business day or two, we will call or email you to let you know what we can offer in terms of a schedule for our fall program. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our front office staff at (408) 366-1098 ext 3# or email: frontoffice.hamaguchi@gmail.com.

Registering for an Ongoing Therapy Program: If you are requesting therapy appointments and we are able to offer your child a schedule that will work for your availability, you will then be asked to provide a registration fee, which is the equivalent of the last 2 sessions, prepaid, along with a patient history, any pertinent prior reports and a registration form. If your child attends both a group program and an individual program, the registration fee is one prepaid group session fee plus one prepaid individual session fee. (The registration fee credit is then applied to your last 2 sessions, or any outstanding fees due at the conclusion of your program.) 

Holding Assessment Appointments: If you are requesting an assessment, the procedure is slightly different as we require a flat $50 deposit to hold all appointments, with the first half of the assessment fee due on the day of the first meeting, and the remaining balance due on the last day, when the report is reviewed with the parents. 

Second Opinions and Input on School Services: We are sometimes asked to attend IEP meetings or offer opinions regarding a child’s school speech therapy services, such as the number of sessions per week your child needs or the goals or methods that should be used. If you are considering engaging our services for this purpose, please read Working with the Schools and Other Professionals. In a nutshell, we really do not wish to become involved in IEP negotiations or planning. Our mission is to provide top quality services to your child, independent of the school program, without becoming entangled in meetings or contentious negotiations.

Insurance: We are a private pay practice. We are not "in-network" providers for any insurance companies, but we are "out-of-network providers" for PPO plans, if your child's therapy services are considered medically necessary by the insurance processor and fall within the parameters of your insurance plan. You would still need to pay for all services directly to us. Therefore, we do not negotiate our fees, accept insurance assignment, nor are we able to sign insurance forms or accept payment from insurance companies. If you intend to seek insurance reimbursement, you must follow the procedure as outlined “If You Intend to Seek Insurance Reimbursement”. For those of you who have Health Savings Accounts at your work, you can usually get reimbursement through your HSA, or use your HSA credit/debit card as payment.

Fast ForWord: Hamaguchi & Associates is a proud provider of Fast ForWord computer programs for the home use of our clients. Fast ForWord is a family of software that is designed to strengthen auditory memory, attention, auditory discrimination, and language processing through a very intensive short-term, daily program. There are many levels and products, and some are also specifically designed for children who are struggling with reading (decoding, as well as comprehension and fluency) although all of the foundation skills in the Language, Language to Reading, and Literacy programs are integral to the language and auditory comprehension process. Fast ForWord is a time-intensive program (50-90 minutes per day, 5 days a week for 4-8 weeks) that is done at your home, with adult supervision by a parent or caregiver. The best candidates for this program tend to be ages 6 and older, children who have reached a plateau with other traditional therapies or tutoring, and older children (age 9 and up) who need a big boost in the areas Fast ForWord addresses. There are other, less-intensive products from the Scientific Learning Corporation (Brain Spark) that are less expensive and may be appropriate for your child, if the difficulties are slight or very mild. Fast ForWord is generally more worthwhile if your child is having significant processing and/or reading problems that are phonemic or auditory related.  Children who love computers are a good match for this program. We generally recommend Fast ForWord  to be completed over the summer, due to the time and energy it demands. A 30-minute weekly checkup is required at our office for those who participate in this program.