Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics
Helping Young Children Communicate
Since 1980
Our Programs
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Preschool Speech-Language Therapy Program
The primary program of Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics is an intensive, one-on-one speech-language therapy program provided to preschool children by licensed speech-language pathologists (see licensure description below). Most children take part in 45 minute sessions twice a week. Specific treatment goals are set for each child that participates in our program after reviewing evaluation results and consulting with parents, health professionals and others involved in their care.
Clinicians use play, toys, flash cards and even food to achieve results, making it a pleasure for most children to attend therapy. Parents are encouraged to watch sessions from observations rooms and are provided with plenty of opportunity to discuss their child's progress with their clinician. The clinicians coach parents on how to support therapy at home and give other useful information, homework and exercises as needed.
How to enroll, what to do if you suspect your child needs help:
Parents, physicians and others who are concerned about a preschool child's speech and language development are encouraged to call one of our clinics to discuss the particular situation. Oregon Scottish Rite Clinic staff will obtain basic information about the child, such as when they started walking and other developmental milestones. They review any case histories including screenings or evaluations conducted by others, including speech-language pathologists connected with Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education or Head Start. Families desiring services in Klamath Falls, Bend, or Roseburg are required to first be screened by Early Intervention (EI) or Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). However, we do encourage families in those areas to contact our clinicians for any assistance needed in obtaining such evaluations. Our clinicians work closely with EI and ECSE staff and can be helpful to parents trying to navigate the EI, ECSE services. This system enables us to ensure that the children we treat are the most appropriate for our individualized services and do not "fall through the cracks". Those wishing to explore our program in Portland may contact our clinic directly. Click here for a directory of our clinics.
Eligibility for enrollment with Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics:
In order to be eligible for services at Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics, speech and language must be the child's PRIMARY problem. Children may be seen from late infancy until they enter Kindergarten. Insurance is not required and Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics does not discriminate on the basis of income, Masonic affiliation or other such criteria. No families are turned away based on inability to pay. If services are appropriate, the child is placed on the waiting list, which can be anywhere from one to eight months. We encourage parents with concerns to have their children evaluated as early as possible to ensure their enrollment in our program, Early Intervention or Early Childhood Special Education well before Kindergarten.
We strongly encourage you to click here for more information on developmental milestones relating to speech-language that you can use to check your child's progress. Our clinicians are happy to answer your questions by phone, and will call you back as time allows between therapy sessions.
Evaluations:
Speech-language screenings and full evaluations are performed by all of Oregon's Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Programs. Click here for a list. In order for children to be eligible for services at our clinics in Klamath Falls, Bend, and Roseburg, children must first be screened or evaluated by the local EI or ECSE program. This system ensures that the cases we take are the most appropriate for our services.
At our Portland clinic, screenings and evaluations are available as scheduling permits by contacting us at (503) 226-1048. However, we encourage families in the Portland metropolitan area to also contact EI or ECSE in their community as well to ensure access to their valuable services.
Our Klamath Falls clinician is bilingual and provides evaluations and therapy for Spanish speaking children. This service is available in Klamath County and also for Modoc County, California, through a special partnership we've established with the Modoc County Early Intervention Program.
Qualifications of our clinicians:
Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics are staffed by licensed speech-language pathologists. The minimum licensure requirements include a master's degree in speech pathology and a nine month supervised clinical practicum. Clinicians must pass a national examination and are required to take 40 hours of certified continuing education courses every two years in order to maintain their licensure.
We support the continuing education of our clinicians by providing them with a budget to attend certified programs and paid time-off to attend them. For more information about speech pathology licensure and the profession, see the Websites of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Oregon Speech, Language, and Hearing Association or the State of Oregon Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. On these Websites you can find a copy of the speech-language patholosits Code of Ethics and useful information for both professionals and the public.