Sweetwater provides speech, language, and feeding therapy across the lifespan, from early childhood through adulthood.

Yes. After our initial conversation, we can meet to determine whether your child would benefit from our services. 

Yes. Sweetwater participates with several insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Sanford Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare/Optum, TRICARE, and North Dakota Medicaid. We continue to add insurance partnerships as the practice grows. Coverage varies by plan, so benefits and eligibility are verified before services begin.

Sweetwater primarily provides services through insurance coverage. If your plan does not include benefits for the services you need, we will let you know before scheduling therapy and do our best to connect you with another provider in the area who may be able to help.

Many insurance plans require an order from a healthcare provider before they will cover speech or feeding therapy. Your physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant can send Sweetwater an order to evaluate and treat. If an order is needed, we can help coordinate that process with your provider.

Yes! Early Intervention and school-based services have their own way of deciding who qualifies for services. Sweetwater Therapy uses a more individualized and collaborative approach to determine a child’s need for services.

It depends on your age, goals, interests, and what you’re working on. Therapy is individualized and may include conversation, activities, games, problem-solving, or practice with everyday communication tasks. We focus on creating a comfortable, supportive environment where therapy feels meaningful and relevant to your life.

Because play is how children learn. We play with a therapeutic purpose, using activities that are engaging and meaningful to your child. Something as simple as stacking blocks might create opportunities to initiate an interaction, take turns, use gestures, communicate “more” or “all done,” or share an idea. The toys may look like playthings, but in therapy, they are tools for building communication skills within natural interactions.

Absolutely! Parents and caregivers are always welcome to participate in therapy sessions. While you are never required to attend, your involvement can help connect what we work on in therapy with everyday activities and routines. We’ll share strategies, answer questions, and work together to find approaches that make sense for your child and family.

Therapy may take place at Sweetwater’s therapy space, in your home, at a daycare or after-school program, through telehealth, or in other community settings when appropriate. We’ll work with you to determine the setting that best supports your needs and therapy goals. There is no additional charge when Sweetwater travels to an agreed-upon location for therapy.

Most therapy sessions are 30–45 minutes. Session length is based on the type of therapy, individual needs, and treatment goals.

It will probably not surprise you that the answer is, “It depends.” The length of therapy varies based on each person’s needs, goals, progress, and response to treatment. We regularly review progress and adjust the plan of care as needs change.

Right now, Sweetwater only provides speech therapy. We are looking to add occupational therapy in the near future. 

Communication and feeding needs rarely exist in isolation. With your permission, we’re happy to collaborate with other professionals and support people involved in your care. Sharing information and coordinating strategies can help everyone better understand your needs, goals, and the supports that work best for you.

Some infants and toddlers need help developing successful feeding skills as well as confident and competent communication skills. We can help your child find ways to share their wants and needs which can decrease their frustration.

Absolutely. Communication is much more than spoken words. We support people who communicate in many different ways, including gestures, signs, pictures, communication devices (AAC), vocalizations, and other forms of communication. Our goal is to help each person develop reliable ways to express themselves and connect with others.

Feeding therapy supports the skills and experiences that contribute to safe, effective, and comfortable eating and drinking. Depending on the person’s needs, therapy may address biting and chewing, drinking from a cup or straw, oral-motor skills, interacting with a wider variety of foods, and overall mealtime engagement. For infants, therapy may focus on developing the skills needed for effective breast, bottle, or early solid feeding.

Oromyofunctional therapy addresses how the lips, tongue, jaw, and other structures of the mouth work together during everyday activities. Therapy may focus on oral resting posture, nasal breathing, chewing and swallowing patterns, and speech when these areas affect function. Treatment is individualized and may involve collaboration with dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, or other healthcare providers when appropriate.

When something about communication or feeding doesn’t seem quite right, trust your intuition and ask questions. You don’t need to wait until a concern becomes a bigger problem. Reach out, tell us what you’re noticing, and we can help determine the next step.