10 Things You Need To Know about At Home Speech Therapy (a seasoned SLP)

Gina Britt
Jan 8
3 min read

This post is all about at home speech therapy

Have fun with at home speech therapy. I will refer to my one patient through out this post to give you practice and real-examples (coming from a seasoned SLP of 14 + years). This is an opinion piece to give you a perspective on at home speech therapy!

At Home Speech Therapy Is Customizable

You can customize the therapy any way that you would like! I will refer to my one patient through out this so you can get real-world practical examples. My patient loved to cook so we focused one sequencing the steps for the recipe and safety awareness in the kitchen (i.e. setting timers/alarms, remembering to turn off the oven).

Insurance

I did not personally bill insurance I took private pay. However, I would write treatment notes and give them to my client to submit to their insurance for reimbursement. This is known as a "superbill."

Here Is ASHA's Superbill Template For Speech Therapy

Community Outings

My favorite part of working at the client's home was going on community outings. This way we could integrate all of our skills and practice them in the community. Also, the community brings about new challenges, such as navigating stores, safety in the parking lot, budgeting for purchases and sequencing the steps for dressing in the dressing room. All of these tasks fall under cognitive rehabilitation, the less common but impactful side of speech therapy.

Pay $$$

The best part about the pay is you get to choose your rate. I would pick somewhere between $50-$100 per hour depending on how experienced you are. There is no rulebook for this but I would research the market rate in your area and fall somewhere in between there.

Did I use worksheets for at home speech therapy?

Yes! I did bring over a large packet of worksheets and that way when I needed a quick task or had to fill up the awkward last 15 minutes of session I could grab a worksheet. HOWEVER, I did not commonly use worksheets, I preferred to use the client's materials, magazines, newspapers as my treatment materials. However, the worksheets were also left as a home exercises program (although I never saw them filled out).

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How did you find clients for at home speech therapy?

I had a family member who was a case manager at the time and she referred the client's to me. Essentially... word-of-mouth. However, I did create a website and was able to get into the 2nd page of google. I found that building my website and seeing client's was one too many tasks for me at the time.

Why did you stop at home speech therapy?

I stopped seeing private patients to learn more about the field of speech therapy. I got accepted into a job that was a competitive position in a post traumatic TBI rehabilitation center. I decided to focus on learning more so that I had more to offer my private client's in the future. Now, I have been focusing on working remotely in the school system and blogging about speech therapy.

Benefits of At Home Speech Therapy

I love working in client's homes (as long at the area is safe etc) because you can make a direct impact on their daily routine and customize the therapy to their needs (i.e. using their kitchen appliances, reading their newspapers, setting a treatment plan together)

What other activities can I do at my client's home ?

Work on organization strategies, such as using a planner, learning to set alarms/timers, leaving reminder notes on the bathroom mirror, de-cluttering/organizing closets and making the home more accessible.

Safety First

Leave a note by the phone with emergency contacts. Contact your local police and fire department to let them know there is an elderly person who has had a stroke and is at risk of falls. Get a med-alert bracelet that notifies 911 if you have had a fall. Review safety awareness strategies with your client and their family.