How much are your fees for therapy sessions?
Our fees vary depending on the services required and the seniority of the therapist.
As a guide, our fees start from:
Speech Therapy - from $180 per hour
Occupational Therapy - from $180 per hour
Social Skills Training - from $120 per hour
Educational Therapy - from $180 per hour
For more information on this, please click on the respective services:
What is the typical waiting time required before starting therapy sessions?
Once you contact us, we will attempt to schedule an assessment as soon as possible. Depending on your child, more than 1 assessment session may be required before commencing therapy. Individual therapy sessions can typically start soon after the assessment is completed, depending on the availability of a therapist. However, longer waiting times may be required if dyad or group therapy sessions are recommended. This is because we will need to find a suitable partner whose schedule can complement yours.
What happens during an assessment?
Depending on the parental concerns, different types of assessments will be carried out. Typically, assessments involve asking parents and/or caregivers questions to understand more about your child, as well as using toys and pictures to ask your child questions and observe his/her responses. As much as possible, we try to use formal assessments in order to obtain objective data which can give us a baseline of your child’s skill level and help us track your child’s progress. At the end of the assessment, a brief summary and recommendations will be shared with you.
What treatment approaches do you use?
At HeadStart for Life, we believe that every child is unique in his/her special way. Hence, we use an eclectic approach when conducting therapy. Some of the approaches that we incorporate in our therapy include Hanen, Oral Placement Therapy, PROMPT, Sensory Integration, and Therapeutic Listening. Above all, we aim to make sessions fun and enjoyable, as this is how children learn best.
How frequently will my child have to attend sessions?
This is dependent on the recommendations of the therapist after assessment. Typically, children attend weekly or fortnightly sessions. For children attending our School Readiness Programme, a choice of 6 hours or 9 hours per week is available, which can be distributed to 2 - 3 days a week. Morning or afternoon sessions are available.
Will weekly sessions be sufficient?
After every therapy session, parents will be sent a copy of the session notes with activities to carry out at home. This is to increase opportunities for practice and help reinforce learning. Hence, weekly sessions with the therapist are sufficient as the learning does not stop when your child goes home.
How many sessions will my child need?
This will depend on the difficulties your child is facing and the progress observed throughout the therapy sessions. Parents will be given a 6-month Treatment Plan after the fourth therapy session, which details the goals that we will aim to achieve together over the period.
Will my child be able to speak / communicate well after completing the 6 months treatment plan?
This is dependent on many factors as every child is different and will progress at different rates. At the end of the 6 months period, we will conduct a re-assessment to measure your child’s progress and determine which goals require more time and to set new goals if necessary. If your child is assessed to have skills that are age-appropriate, the therapist may recommend that your child does not require any more therapy.
What progress can I expect? How long will it be before we see improvements?
Progress is dependent on your child’s difficulties, rate of learning, and ability to generalise what he/she has learned. Hence, we are unable to give a definite time frame within which to expect a certain level of progress. However, regular parental/caregiver involvement can help your child. This is through supporting your child appropriately by understanding more about his/her needs and carrying out home therapy activities to help reinforce the skills learned.
Do parents sit in the session?
At HeadStart for Life, we believe that a collaborative approach between parents and caregivers will maximise your child’s learning. We highly encourage at least 1 parent to sit in during speech and occupational therapy sessions to observe and even possibly be involved in activities! There are some exceptions wherein we request for parents to sit out for the initial few sessions, such as if a child is resistant about joining in activities while parents are in the room. We will then work towards increasing the amount of time that the parents are in the room over subsequent sessions.
Do note that parents do not sit in during social skills training, therapeutic play, and academic based sessions (e.g. literacy and numeracy) due to the nature of the sessions. For example, in social skills training, children are encouraged to interact with a peer. If a parent sits in the session, however, the dynamics of the session may be different as your child may look to you for help instead.
What materials do you use?
We use a play-based approach as we believe a child must have fun and be engaged in order to learn. We have many toys and materials at HeadStart, such as cars, play dough, kinetic sand, boardgames, and water-based toys! Materials are chosen and used based on your child’s motivation and learning needs.
How do I know if my child needs therapy?
If your child is not developing at an age-appropriate level, please contact us. Some milestones to look out for at various ages can be found here. Seeking help early can help provide your child with the adequate support required as he/she grows up.
What qualifications do your therapists have?
Our therapists are all suitably qualified in their respective areas of expertise and are passionate about what they do. Their qualifications are listed under their profiles here.
Do you provide therapy for children who do not live in Singapore?
We accommodate families who live abroad but are visiting Singapore. Typically we recommend families to reserve at least 3 days for assessment and therapy. A written 6 month treatment plan will be given and most of the sessions will be spent teaching parents and caregivers how to carry out home therapy at home, based on the goals on the treatment plan. We recommend families to return for a follow-up in 3 to 6 months time.