Intensive Therapy Questions
What gains can I expect to see from an intensive session?
As you know many of our children have the same diagnoses, but vastly differ in their level of ability. For this reason, it’s very difficult to judge exactly what gains your child may see from an intensive session. On the first day of your child’s session you will meet with your therapist and come up with a set of realistic goals for the next three weeks. Your primary concerns will be taken into account, so please feel free to discuss openly what you would most likely to concentrate on.Typically we strive for 6-12 months of typical development for your child, when comparing the program to a weekly therapy program.
When will I know my final schedule?
While booking in advance in no way guarantees your therapists, it does secure your spot with us for this date. A lot of movement happens from the day you book to the day you start. For example, therapists may move clinics, take, vacation time, or go on maternity leave. We encourage you to think of this as a tentative draft. For this reason, NAPA will release your finalized schedule 30 days prior to your intensive start date.
What should my child wear during therapy?
Think lightweight and comfortable! The ideal outfit is a t-shirt, pants or leggings, and sneakers. Avoid baggy clothing which tends to bunch up under the NeuroSuit and SpiderCage harness. Jeans and shorts should also be avoided.
What should I bring?
The Basics: Braces, AFOs, regular shoes that fit with AFOs, change of clothes, and a water bottle.
Food and Drink: Our parent lounge is equipped with a fridge, microwave, toaster, oven, coffee, tea, filtered water, dishes, and utensils.
Daily Tools: Any equipment you would like to incorporate in the session like walkers, wheelchairs, AAC Device, communication tools.
Motivation: Favorite books, toys, electronic devices, rewards always come in handy with therapy gets tough!
What should we expect?
Crying is normal: We typically push through when your kids protest, and it really does get better.
Food and Drink: We take pride in our facility! Water in a closed container is the only beverage allowed on the treatment floor. Additionally, we ask you keep all food in the parent lounge with the exception of a snack for your child during therapy.
Expect your schedule to change: Therapists get sick or need a day off sometimes too. If your therapist happens to be out, we do our best to notify you ahead of time and provide you with a sub.
Make Up hours: If you can’t make a session, we will do our best to help you make up those hours with a therapist that is open. Adding on make-up hours to an already long intensive day is not advised. If we can’t make up the hours outside of your intensive or if we don’t have any availability, we will save the funds as a credit to be applied towards Telehealth or your next intensive round.
But first Lunch: All patients and therapists break for lunch from 12:00 -12:30. Store perishable items in the parent lounge fridge.
Intensives are Intense: Your kid will be tired, and intensives can be surprisingly taxing on family as well. Strike a balance between fun activities and extra scheduled down time. Getting plenty of rest alongside nutrient rich meals is our best advice to combat mental and physical fatigue.
Do I need to submit additional paperwork or evaluations?
45 days before your session starts, we will reach out to start the paperwork collection process to ensure we're prepared for your arrival.
1. Prescription - we will request your doctor's name and fax number to submit a prescription request. While NAPA will fax this in, it is your responsibility to follow up with the doctor to get this form sent back.
2. Evaluations - for each type of therapy you are participating in (PT, OT, and Speech). If you don’t have these documents that’s okay, let your intensive coordinator know and we can schedule them for an additional fee.
3. Intake Paperwork Update - if you have not completed your intake paperwork within the past 12 months, we will ask you to complete an update.
Are siblings able to attend?
Sessions run smoother when both the parents and therapists can focus on the patient at hand. If you must bring siblings, they may wait in the parent lounge, but must always be supervised by parents. We ask you keep them off the therapy equipment and refrain from using toys as tempting as our open gym setting is.
What happens if my child becomes ill prior to their session?
If your child becomes ill prior to the session start date please contact us ASAP so we can give another family on our wait list a chance to come to NAPA. With a doctors note, we can save the money you put towards this intensive as a credit towards the next session you schedule with us. We most likely will not be able to get you in right away, but once we do, just ask our billing team to apply this saved credit.
What happens if my child becomes ill during their session?
For local patients we can schedule make up sessions. Sometimes we can also add therapy onto other intensive days when your child is feeling better. In other cases when adding on additional therapy would be too taxing, we save any hours missed as a credit that can be applied towards your next intensive.
When is the soonest I can schedule my next intensive?
Typically, we recommend a two to three-month break prior to your next session. You will continue to see gains after your child’s session, and it is just as important to build off those gains as the intensive session itself.
Intensive Scheduling Questions
When does the next intensive session start?
We offer intensive sessions every three weeks, throughout the year. You can view the schedule by clicking
here. When will the schedule for next year be released?
The following year's schedule is released in July. For example, the 2024 schedule will be released summer of 2023.
How many hours per day would you recommend my child do for an intensive?
The best way to determine which of our therapies are most appropriate for your child is to fill out our
patient intake paperwork. Our therapists will review to confirm that your child is a candidate for our intensive program, and also recommend which of our therapies are best suited for your child’s needs, as well as how many hours per day they believe to be most appropriate.
How do I register for an intensive therapy session?
Once you have filled out the Intensive Intake Paperwork and received email confirmation that your child is a candidate for our program along with your intensive plan recommendations you can request the session of your choice by clicking here and submitting a form for the session time frame of your choice. Note this does not guarantee a session. It simply lets us know you are interested at coming at this time. The intensive coordinator at the clinic you selected will reach out and let you know our availability for your preferred session.
Can I request a specific therapist?
You can request a previous therapist you have had but we cannot guarantee any therapist for your session. Many other factors play into scheduling but we do everything we can to meet scheduling preferences such as preferred therapists and start time.
What happens if the intensive session I want is full?
If we can’t get you into the session you requested we can add you to that sessions wait list. Although we can’t predict when or if a family will drop out, we will let you know if an opening becomes available.
What time will my child’s session begin?
Our intensive sessions begin as early as 8:00 AM with our last intensive hour beginning at 2:30. If you would like a particular start time, we recommend booking your session in the next registration window.
Can we increase or decrease the number of hours per day once the session begins?
If you think your child will not be able to handle the length of the session we recommended, we advise either starting with one less hour or including a break in your session. As a heads up, once you begin your session we will not be able to decrease the number of hours you are signed up for and rarely have the availability to add in more therapy.
Will the clinic be closed for any holidays?
Yes, the clinics will be closed on the following holidays:
May 29 - Memorial Day
July 4 - Independence Day
Sep 4 - Labor Day
Nov 23-Nov 24 - Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec 22 - Christmas Eve (Observed)
Dec 25 - Christmas Day
