Speech Language Therapy in Colorado Springs, CO
From Colorado Springs, CO

By: Rikki DeGrove, MA, CCC-SLP , Sprout Therapy Services,

At Sprout we offer out-patient pediatric (in-office) visits for children with speech, language, voice, fluency, and feeding difficulties in Colorado Springs, but we wanted to make you aware of other options around the city.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities in the United States. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.^{2, 3}

Early Intervention (EI) in Colorado Springs

Early Intervention is a program mandated by part C of IDEA. This program entitles all infants and toddlers through 2 years of age in Colorado who are referred to the program to a free multidisciplinary assessment and/or evaluation.

Once evaluated, eligibility for services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy is determined by the multidisciplinary team based on a significant delay in one or more areas of development, or diagnosis of a condition that will result in a significant delay in development.

EI services end no later than the child’s third birthday. If the child continues to be potentially eligible for services, an EI service coordinator will assist the family in transitioning from the EI program to other available resources in the area, including preschool special education services offered by the local school district.¹ For more information or to inquire about a referral to EI Colorado, visit eicolorado.org or call (719) 577-9190.

Preschool Special Education in Colorado Springs

Preschool Special Education is a federally mandated program under part B of IDEA. Preschool Special Education services are provided by local school districts to eligible children ages three to five (before entering Kindergarten) who are determined to demonstrate a significant delay in one or more area of development. Services may include enrollment in an inclusive preschool classroom, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and/or physical therapy.

Contact your local school district to ask about Child Find developmental screenings or assessments. Click here for a map of school districts (D1, D2, D3, D8, D11, D12, D14, D20, D20 and so on) in Colorado Springs.

Special Education services

Special Education services for students age 5-21 are also offered in compliance with IDEA part B in Colorado Springs.

If a student is suspected of having an educational disability in the areas of articulation, stuttering, voice, or language, an evaluation by the school Speech-Language Pathologist may be conducted to determine eligibility for Speech Therapy or other special education services.

An educational disability refers to a specified disability which prevents the child from receiving reasonable educational benefit from general education. Once eligibility is determined, the multidisciplinary team will develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which may include Speech Therapy services.

To request an evaluation by your school Speech-Language Pathologist, contact your child’s teacher or other school personnel such as the school counselor, social worker, or principal.

Other Speech Therapy

Other Speech Therapy services are available in Colorado Springs to children and adults from birth to end of life. Settings in which speech-language pathologists work include hospitals, residential and non-residential health care facilities, home health agencies, outpatient offices, schools, early intervention providers, universities, private practices, and various other settings.

Children in Colorado Springs who do not qualify for state funded educational programs, or whose families wish to forego or supplement these services can be seen by Speech-Language Pathologists in outpatient, home health, or other private practices. Some medical insurance plans offer benefits to cover speech therapy when it meets the requirements of being “medically necessary.”

At Sprout Therapy Services

We offer in-home Speech Therapy visits for children with speech, language, voice, fluency, and feeding difficulties. We will file claims with your insurance company if speech therapy is a covered service. We also offer Social Skills Groups for children with social learning challenges related to Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Non-verbal Learning Disorder, ADHD, and other diagnoses. Call us at 719-999-8417 and we will be happy to discuss your child and any concerns or questions you have about his/her speech and language abilities!

If you have any additional information about finding pediatric speech-language / therapy services in Colorado Springs, send us an email and we will add it to this article.