Welcome to CSLOT! We are excited to support you and your family in your journey through the clinical process. We have been preparing for your first visit with us and we want you to be prepared as well.

What should I bring to the first visit?

When you set up the appointment for your first visit, a welcome packet was sent to you with documents to complete. If there are any documents that you have not yet returned, please bring them with you to your first appointment. Also, if you are going through your insurance to pay for your sessions, please bring your insurance card and other needed documentation. If you are coming with a child, also consider bringing a favorite toy or comfort blanket. Familiar items can be helpful and soothing for young children in unfamiliar situations. Review the directions to the office you will be attending so you will be ready and please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment.

What will happen at the first visit?

When you arrive at CSLOT, you will be greeted by one of our front office staff members who will help you sign in, complete any needed paperwork, discuss any details needed for insurance billing, and explain our policies and procedures for working with CSLOT. We encourage you to arrive at least 15 minutes early for your first appointment so there is time to take care of these critical first steps. You will then wait in our waiting room until the time of your appointment.

At the scheduled time of your appointment, the clinician assigned to you will come to retrieve you from the waiting room. You will go with him or her to one of our offices or our gym for your appointment. If your first appointment is an evaluation, the clinician will gather the critical information needed and will conduct the assessment. If your first appointment is a therapy session, the clinician will get to know you and start addressing proposed goal areas while fine tuning the specific goals to be targeted.

At the conclusion of your session, the clinician assigned to you will walk you back to the front office. Once there, you can confirm your next appointment and take care of anything else that is needed with our front office staff.

Preparing a child for the first visit to CSLOT

Being prepared for a new experience is critical for a child to feel calm, ready, curious, and even excited. When some children visit our offices for the first time, they associate being in a building with friendly strangers with being in a doctor’s office, a place that often has negative associations for young children. Helping to prepare your child for your first visit at CSLOT can help ensure a successful experience for you and your child.

For a young child, associate your visit with play.

• “Tomorrow we are going to go play with a new teacher.”
• “Today we will be playing with someone who will listen to you talk/watch you move/etc.”

For an older child, give more specific information about the clinician and the action that will take place.

• “Tomorrow we are going to play with someone who is a speech therapist who wants to help you talk.”
• “Today we are going to visit an occupational therapist who wants to help make it easier to write.”
• “On Friday, we are going to visit a teacher who wants to help you not hit your head, even when you are upset.”

For older children, it is also important to address any worries or fears they may have about the upcoming unfamiliar experience

• “Tomorrow we are going to visit a speech therapist who wants to help you say your /r/ sound.  How do you feel about that?”

Preparing an adult for the first visit to CSLOT

Being prepared helps all people be calm and ready for new situations. If you are the caregiver for an adult client, it is important to prepare your loved one for his or her first visit to CSLOT. Depending on the language level of your loved one, explain in simple direct terms where you will be going and the nature of the visit.

• “Tomorrow we will be visiting a speech-language pathologist at CSLOT who will help you to better understand what people are saying and to say the things you want to say.”
• “I know it has been really hard for you to remember things lately.  Today we will be going to visit a speech-language pathologist at CSLOT who will help you find ways to remember things better.”
• “On Tuesday, we are going to CSLOT to visit a speech-language pathologist to help us find ways to help you swallow so you don’t choke anymore when you are drinking water.”