New Patient Resources
At National Therapy Center, we offer a number of resources to help new patients with the intake process.
General FAQs
Please call our Patient Care team to receive the most up to date information about the insurances we accept at (301) 493-0023 .
Call the National Therapy Center office or email contact@nationaltherapycenter.com to discuss your specific case and type of insurance you have. We will send you an intake packet (background information, consent forms, etc.) to fill out. Please email or fax a picture of the front and back of your child's insurance card. From there, we can determine if you need a doctor's referral and subsequent prior authorization from your insurance to proceed with scheduling.
To get services started, a prescription/referral for ABA evaluation & treatment is needed with diagnostic code listed. The ASD diagnostic report is also needed. Prior to getting ongoing ABA services started, an ABA assessment (e.g. VB-MAPP, Vineland, etc.) is completed first to determine more specific recommendations for frequency of services as well as determining goals. The assessment will consist of multiple sessions including a parent interview and direct observation as well as direct testing of skills. Once the assessment has been completed, a report will be submitted to a funding source with recommendations included. The recommendations may be similar or different from the doctor's recommendation.
Birth to 26 years of age. Exceptions are made on specific cases especially for specialty departments.
Speech therapy, general receptive/expressive language therapy, articulation, feeding, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), aural rehabilitation, literacy skills; Occupational Therapy, ABA (Autism Services), and Physical Therapy.
Speech Therapy (ST) or Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) focuses on the multiple aspects of communication. This includes:
1) Articulation and the clarity of a child's speech and saying sounds and words.
2) Listening and comprehension of language (understanding sentences and questions following directions)
3) Expressing words and thoughts (vocabulary, grammar, producing long sentences, etc.)
4) Cognitive-linguistic skills (sequencing, inferencing, planning)
5) Literacy skills (reading and writing)
Occupational Therapy, or OT, is a type of therapy that involves addressing a child's engagement in daily activities given their diagnosis and/or difficulties they're experiencing. Overall, we work with children with diagnoses ranging from Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, sensory processing difficulties, and other developmental delays to provide them opportunities to learn the skills needed to function in their day to day lives, such as school related activities (fine motor skills), dressing, feeding/eating, sensory processing, motor planning, etc..
ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. We focus on improving and understanding each child’s behavior. This can include a wide variety of skills (e.g. communication, play skills, toilet training, following directions, etc.). This can also include behaviors that are occurring that are undesired, and are not age-appropriate. We try to determine why these behaviors are occurring and work to determine less harmful behaviors that will help the child reach the same goal.
ABA sessions average for about 2 hours, although some sessions may be needed.
As ABA services are often provided frequently, ABA therapy is provided as a team. The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) provides the direct/ongoing services. Our RBTs have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have completed ABA specific training as well as passed a national exam that is maintained annually. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is responsible for completing assessment, determining and updating goals, and providing supervision to RBTs for a minimum of 5% of the hours a child receives.
Prior to COVID-19, all services were provided in the client's natural environment (e.g. home, childcare center, etc.). Since resuming in-person services, we have opened our Bethesda & Germantown offices to also provide ABA services outside of the home, in a safe, controlled environment.
Yes. Our therapists can meet with you to determine what works best for you and your child in telehealth sessions. Every child is different, so it usually takes a few sessions for the child to get acclimated to virtual therapy and for the therapist to determine what games and reinforcements to use to keep everyone motivated during the session. For very young children, we do not expect the child to sit for a whole session. In these situations, we take a more caregiver-coaching approach, in which the parents or caregiver are involved across the session. The therapist will help determine what kinds of activities you can do at home to work on your child's goals and provide strategies and feedback to help your child succeed.
General FAQs
Please call our Patient Care team to receive the most up to date information about the insurances we accept at (301) 493-0023 .
Call the National Therapy Center office or email contact@nationaltherapycenter.com to discuss your specific case and type of insurance you have. We will send you an intake packet (background information, consent forms, etc.) to fill out. Please email or fax a picture of the front and back of your child's insurance card. From there, we can determine if you need a doctor's referral and subsequent prior authorization from your insurance to proceed with scheduling.
To get services started, a prescription/referral for an evaluation & treatment is needed with diagnostic code listed. For ABA, the ASD diagnostic report is also needed. Prior to getting ongoing ABA services started, an ABA assessment (e.g. VB-MAPP, Vineland, etc.) is completed first to determine more specific recommendations for frequency of services as well as determining goals. The assessment will consist of multiple sessions including a parent interview and direct observation as well as direct testing of skills. Once the assessment has been completed, a report will be submitted to a funding source with recommendations included. The recommendations may be similar or different from the doctor's recommendation.
Birth to 26 years of age. Exceptions are made on specific cases especially for specialty departments.
Speech therapy, general receptive/expressive language therapy, articulation, feeding, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), aural rehabilitation, literacy skills; Occupational Therapy, ABA (Autism Services), and Physical Therapy.
Speech Therapy (ST) or Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) focuses on the multiple aspects of communication. This includes:
1) Articulation and the clarity of a child's speech and saying sounds and words.
2) Listening and comprehension of language (understanding sentences and questions following directions)
3) Expressing words and thoughts (vocabulary, grammar, producing long sentences, etc.)
4) Cognitive-linguistic skills (sequencing, inferencing, planning)
5) Literacy skills (reading and writing)
Occupational Therapy, or OT, is a type of therapy that involves addressing a child's engagement in daily activities given their diagnosis and/or difficulties they're experiencing. Overall, we work with children with diagnoses ranging from Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, sensory processing difficulties, and other developmental delays to provide them opportunities to learn the skills needed to function in their day to day lives, such as school related activities (fine motor skills), dressing, feeding/eating, sensory processing, motor planning, etc..
ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. We focus on improving and understanding each child’s behavior. This can include a wide variety of skills (e.g. communication, play skills, toilet training, following directions, etc.). This can also include behaviors that are occurring that are undesired, and or occur more often than expected than a child their age. We try to determine why these behaviors are occurring and work to teach other behaviors that will help the child reach the same goal.
As ABA services are often provided frequently, ABA therapy is provided as a team. The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) provides the direct/ongoing services. Our RBTs have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have completed ABA specific training as well as passed a national exam that is maintained annually. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is responsible for completing assessment, determining and updating goals, and providing supervision to RBTs for a minimum of 5% of the hours a child receives.
Once your child is evaluated, we will determine if teletherapy may be as effective as in person sessions and then make a decision on how to proceed jointly with the family. Typically, parents love this approach when it is effective--it is one less place they need to carpool to!
General FAQs
Please call our Patient Care team to receive the most up to date information about the insurances we accept at (301) 493-0023 .
Call the National Therapy Center office or email contact@nationaltherapycenter.com to discuss your specific case and type of insurance you have. We will send you an intake packet (background information, consent forms, etc.) to fill out. Please email or fax a picture of the front and back of your child's insurance card. From there, we can determine if you need a doctor's referral and subsequent prior authorization from your insurance to proceed with scheduling.
To get services started, a prescription/referral for an evaluation & treatment is needed with diagnostic code listed. For ABA, the ASD diagnostic report is also needed. Prior to getting ongoing ABA services started, an ABA assessment (e.g. VB-MAPP, Vineland, etc.) is completed first to determine more specific recommendations for frequency of services as well as determining goals. The assessment will consist of multiple sessions including a parent interview and direct observation as well as direct testing of skills. Once the assessment has been completed, a report will be submitted to a funding source with recommendations included. The recommendations may be similar or different from the doctor's recommendation.
Birth to 26 years of age. Exceptions are made on specific cases especially for specialty departments.
As ABA services are often provided frequently, ABA therapy is provided as a team. The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) provides the direct/ongoing services. Our RBTs have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have completed ABA specific training as well as passed a national exam that is maintained annually. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is responsible for completing assessment, determining and updating goals, and providing supervision to RBTs for a minimum of 5% of the hours a child receives.
Once your child is evaluated, we will determine if teletherapy may be as effective as in person sessions and then make a decision on how to proceed jointly with the family. Typically, parents love this approach when it is effective--it is one less place they need to carpool to!
Speech therapy, general receptive/expressive language therapy, articulation, feeding, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), aural rehabilitation, literacy skills; Occupational Therapy, ABA (Autism Services), and Physical Therapy.
Speech Therapy (ST) or Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) focuses on the multiple aspects of communication. This includes:
1) Articulation and the clarity of a child's speech and saying sounds and words.
2) Listening and comprehension of language (understanding sentences and questions following directions)
3) Expressing words and thoughts (vocabulary, grammar, producing long sentences, etc.)
4) Cognitive-linguistic skills (sequencing, inferencing, planning)
5) Literacy skills (reading and writing)
Occupational Therapy, or OT, is a type of therapy that involves addressing a child's engagement in daily activities given their diagnosis and/or difficulties they're experiencing. Overall, we work with children with diagnoses ranging from Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, sensory processing difficulties, and other developmental delays to provide them opportunities to learn the skills needed to function in their day to day lives, such as school related activities (fine motor skills), dressing, feeding/eating, sensory processing, motor planning, etc..
ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis. We focus on improving and understanding each child’s behavior. This can include a wide variety of skills (e.g. communication, play skills, toilet training, following directions, etc.). This can also include behaviors that are occurring that are undesired, and or occur more often than expected than a child their age. We try to determine why these behaviors are occurring and work to teach other behaviors that will help the child reach the same goal.
What Our Clients Say
National therapy is an exceptional outlet. They have truly professional and exceptional staff who are not only willing to work with my child, but also willing to instruct me as a parent on the best ways to work with my child at home.
D.K.
Brooke, my son's therapist works extremely well with my child. She uses subject matter that he is interested in and provides positive, but constructive prompts. He really enjoys coming to therapy and that is saying a lot for a 13 year old boy!
W.E.
Both of my children have been receiving therapy at NTC off and on for the last 13 years. It has had a profound impact on their development and achievement. The understanding of the therapists at this center is unparalleled. The Chief of Neurology at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, was amazed at the therapy my son had been receiving - even before a diagnosis, and said it was critical to the progress he had made. I can't thank you enough!!
C.J.S.
My daughter's language skills have improved considerably since she began working with her speech therapist. She not only communicates better, but she is less frustrated which makes her happier and more self assured. A good sign is that she is always excited to go to speech therapy. That is something that didn't happen with her last speech therapist.
S.D.