No one picks up the and no one ever calls back after multiple messages are left for a call back to schedule an appointment. Calls were made over a series of days and on and off and no one picks up the phone. Messages were left on each of those occasions and no calls are returned. How can we make an appointment if no one ever picks up the phone or calls back? I give up. read more

I echo many of the previous reviews regarding the lack of organization of the admin and zero awareness of how to run a business. When I go to a medical office, usually the admin will check PRIOR to my appointment if I'm within network and what the co-pay is so that when I get to my appointment, they know how much to collect. This place does NOT check before hand and will submit the claim and wait until it gets back from insurance and then shift the blame on you saying that it's the patient's responsibility to pay the co-pay. The information is ON THE insurance card. They didn't bother to look at any changes when I gave them the new card and kept billing me the old co-pay. And then sent me a huge bill and threatened to cancel all future appointments until the balance was paid in full. They did not even check before hand!! I work in the health field. I know what office staff should do PRIOR to a patient's appointment as well as having competent patient care skills - it's pretty basic. This place had NONE of those things. I gave them all the updated info. I don't even know why there's a gal up in front. She answers the phone and that's it. They also do not allow cancellations - only make-up's. We were going out of town for a week and requested to cancel but were told we needed to make them up. My son was already going twice a week so I needed to go four times in one week after coming back?!?!?! All they care about is about money - their business practices are so archaic and the admin does absolutely nothing!!!! It's so unfortunate because the speech pathologist that my son was seeing was great. But going into this office twice a week with all of the disorganization, feeling like a dollar sign and no flexibility with scheduling was so off-putting. We would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

I got referral to send my son here. When I call lady on phone was nice enough. But told me it's a 1 to 2 month waiting and said they will call me back. She took my insurance information and child information. I called back after 3 weeks to inquire about how long it would be before he could get an assessment. The person on the phone asked for my son information and then asked my insurance information. I told her it was almost a month since I called and I just wanted an update. She said well our wait list is typically 3 months and oh we don't take your insurance so out of pocket is $500 dollars do you want me to take your son off the list. I mean they could have told me with the first call so I didn't waste my time and also 2nd lady seemed so uninterested in helping do they even want business. Places like these making parents who just trying to help their children just waste their time and have no compassion. Then why are you even in this business in the first place. If I could I would rate this place with negative stars. read more

Base on my experience as SPA client I give you a priceless advice: Beware, once your child becomes a bit more challenging, they will drop you! They want easy money and money only! read more

My three boys have been attended "SPA" for several years now & all are high functioning autistic; however, my eldest presented w/"echolalia". My son overcame his deficit after several years of progressive one-on-one speech services and ultimately followed through w/group therapy for social skills. Within the social group, he established a close long-term friendship w/the other member of the group outside of therapy. This friendship helped both boys significantly improve and made sessions flow more efficiently. My kiddos have not only substantially improved, but have flourished at this practice. I can not say enough about SPA. SPA is highly regarded as a premier speech/language provider from pediatric neurologists. Make no mistake about it, this is not your "cookie-cutter" type of experience. In fact, our school district performed the wrong evaluation on a different son and then they refused to continue his IEP. SPA was able to quickly determine the appropriate procedure and provided the written results that the school district had difficulty refuting. I can go on and on about what a great outcomes my boys have had here, but rest assured that you are in good hands at SPA. Thank you SPA for being there for your patients!!! read more

First of all, I want to say that the one speech pathologist my son had was excellent. She is great and my son adored her. However, this place is ridiculous. My son had two different pathologist within a week of being there because the first pathologist left without saying anything. They didn't even tell me until the week of when she was gone. They are unorganized and I expressed my disappointment and was told the manager would speak to me...she never did. The other speech pathologist was kind enough to tell me she was leaving. But, again the people who manage the place didn't bother to say a thing. I waited to see if they would call to schedule a new one and they never did. But they did call to tell me they were closing because of the COVId-19 which I completely understood. When I asked when they would open they said they were closing permanently...I was shocked. Thanks for the notice. Horrible business filled with unorganized individuals. So I called after receiving a bill. Apparently, they are open. However, before all the COVID closings someone from the office called to let me know they were permanently closing. After getting the bill, I call only to find out they are still open. Such a sneaky fraudulent company. read more

absolutely horrific. had to call and provide our information multiple times as they kept "losing it" since they "do everything on paper old school" prepare for a 6-7 month wait list & then prepare for your information to get "lost" when you call to follow up.... twice!!!! such a joke and an admin embarrassment. i don't know who is running this establishment but y'all need help. it deeply saddens me that parents trying to seek help for their children have to deal with establishments like this. read more

Most unhelpful office staff I've ever worked with!!! They will not let you cancel an appointment for any reason without rescheduling the appt within 10 days or they will threaten to take you off the schedule. We took a 2 week vacation and they expected us to make up 4 appointment in 5 days along with our regular 2 appt before we left on vacation. When I explained that was physically impossible, they said I would need to make up all the appointments within 10 days of getting back. They won't allow you to book back to back so I would need to take my Son every day for almost 2 weeks to make up his missed app and they don't care that he's starting school and we live 40 min away. They treat you like you're doing something wrong, and they are doing you a favor to "allow" you to reschedule even when you give several weeks notice. They are totally non flexible and non accommodating. We went through so much effort to have our Son evaluated and to get him into therapy. He's improved with Charleen, his therapist over the last 2 months. We love her and think she's great....but I don't want to work with people who can literally make you cry over an appointment time. The office staff needs to take a lesson in manners and how to talk to people. Maybe they should actually look at Yelp and realize they are the only speech pathology center in South OC with such a bad ratings. No doubt they are good at what they do, but so are all the other centers with 5 stars. I would rather work with them and not be treated so badly or like a check. In my opinion this office is all about the money. read more

Extremely shady business practices. Rude, unprofessional, confrontational office manager. The owner is well aware of her practices and likes to play the good guy, but the whole administrative staff is in collusion. I have seen parents in tears in their office more than once. Our speech therapist Charlene was wonderful. My son showed improvements because of her work. Hopefully she takes her talents elsewhere. read more

You can do much better. I didn't know what ineffective speech therapy really was until I changed providers. They have no place for you to sit. They have no place to change your kids diaper except the old carpeted floor. Half of the office is always dark and it just feels cramped and glum. And rather than pickup some diaper bags or a diaper genie, they have aggressively toned notes about not changing your kid in the bathroom and here's the number to the dumpster outside. Also - baby wipes don't sanitize toys - but Lysol or Clorox will. Both my husband and I attended sessions with him, so this is not just one perspective I changed providers and now have my son at a bright and friendly place in Escondido who have made lots of headway with him and identified that he needed OT before speech to succeed. They keep the place immaculate.They have taught him to work independently and are flexible. They have a proper bay changing station and even an emergency supply of diapers. They provide a wonderful waiting room that allows us parents to get advice from each other as ASD is a journey, while siblings and patients waiting for their appointments can play together, watch child appropriate movies, and all sit very comfortably. read more

What a wonderful surprise for the families here at Speech Pathology Associates today. We love this place. My son is thriving everyday thanks to not only his Therapist (Ms. Mary) but everyone at the office with the positive interaction with my son from check in to check out. Thank you for appreciating us. We appreciate you. read more

See all

My daughter started attending speech therapy here in September 2011 three days a week for a moderate receptive and expressive language disorder and Apraxia of speech. We have seen a handful of different speech pathologists along the way and they have all been excellent. When my daughter started with Regional Center and the SLP said to expect my daughter would be in a special day class because the motor planning deficits were so severe. I am happy to report that my daughter attended a general education kindergarten class this fall and was exited from all special education services at her annual IEP. She will enter first grade without an IEP thanks to the wonderful support my daughter has received here. I have had positive experiences with Elizabeth in scheduling. She is so patient, kind and helpful. As long as you give her enough lead time she can usually accommodate your schedule change. It can take a few months because they are so impacted. The staff at the front window are always positive and friendly. The staff in the back is friendly and kind too! My daughter always seems to come home with a balloon on her birthday and other occasions which makes her so happy. Responding to the other reviews I would agree that there are fee issues. A fee of $65 is due if you are a no-show to a 30 minute speech session. I know it seems like a lot but many physicians have the same policy. If you call the same day because your child is ill you aren't liable for the no-show fee but you need to reschedule within a two week window. This has been tricky for us being there three days a week but they've worked with us and we were able to get the make-ups in. Overall, I would highly recommend Speech Pathology Associates (SPA) because they have literally changed my daughter's life for the better and given her the skills and strategies to successfully communicate with her family and peers. Tips to parents attending speech sessions--record the sessions and take notes. We recorded EVERY session the first two years. My husband or mom would take her to speech and would record the session. My husband would send me the audio and I could listen to the session from the previous day while I got my classroom ready in the morning. This helped me to work with her on the things they were working on in speech. SPA also would send home practice pages so we could follow up at home. Follow up is key! Our insurance originally assigned us to Newport Speech and Language (now Providence Speech and Hearing) and they did NOT allow us to record sessions so we switched to SPA and I'm so glad we did. read more

My daughter came here twice a week for 9 months. She started right after her second birthday. She did great! We loved our therapists and I would recommend this place. The front desk staff was helpful and very friendly. The only problem I had was with scheduling. Missing an appointment was such a headache. If my daughter got sick it was really hard to reschedule and you have to reschedule or they charge you. We pulled our daughter out because we couldn't make speech work with our new preschool schedule. Plus, once she turned three she qualifies for speech therapy thru the school district. We will definitely take that route. All in all, we had a great experience. Just be prepared to get a lot of grief if you have to reschedule. read more

The therapist are great.. if they show up. They are so big on holding parents accountable to show up or reschedule but they don't hold their employees accountable. My son has missed 5 appointments in a month because his therapist calls out weekly. How is my son supposed to improve when he can never go to his appointments? Hopefully changing his speech therapist will help! Starting back at square 1 because now he has to get comfortable with them in order to talk or show any progress. read more

Our daughter was not talking at 22 months, due to being born with a cleft palate. She is now 6 and doesn't stop talking! We have been allowed to sit in sessions all along to learn how to work with her at home. She has made excellent progress and we couldn't be happier! There are many comments on here about cancellation policies. But in our 4years, we have never had a problem scheduling make ups, and there has always been a therapist available to do so. read more

I had the worst experience at this place! I wish I can give them 0 star or negative star. My son has been going to this place for 5 months, never miss an appointment. Today I was so unhappy with the administration to the point I just withdrew my son from their services. My son got sick last week and we had to cancel the session last week. They have a policy that if you miss a session that you have to make up a session, you can't just cancel it. So they called me to make up a session for last week. When they called me for rescheduling, it was in winter break. I agreed to go for 2:30 session without realizing that my son will be at school at this time. So I called them back telling me the situation that I can't make it for the time. They just said we don't do make up make up session. You either have to come in or you have to pay the session all out of your pocket. Well, my son gets off school at 2:50. By the time we got there it was already 3:20. So basically what we did is to show up to make payment. We all knew that was going to be the result from the beginning, but the center wouldn't work with me to reschedule it. All they care about is getting paid, at whatever prices of the customers. What ridiculous services! If you have other options, don't go there! If I were you, I will stay away from the place to avoid future harassment, whatever it is! read more

This place is a joke. The scheduling staff told me that based on my insurance, they wouldn't be able to accommodate 1hr appointment and instead I would need to schedule 2 1/2 hour appointments. In addition, sometime they would start the session late and end it at the 1/2 hour mark leaving only 15 or so minutes of actual therapy. Do your self a favor and go else where. read more

The therapist here have been nice and helpful, but their policies need improvement. If you miss an appointment, you will be charged $70 (regardless of when you cancel). They expect you to make up the missed session within 10 days in order to avoid the fee. The only thing management cares about is money. When my son had a medical procedure done his doctor had him in bed rest for 7 days, yet that was not a valid excuse for them to waive the 70 fee for each appointment missed. One time I drove an hr to bring my son to therapy just to find out his therapist was gone for the day. I should've charged them $70 for messing up my schedule, and not even apologizing for the inconvenience. My son has been coming here for 2 years and has had 4 different therapist. SPA seems to have a very high turnover rate, even the receptionist don't last a long time here. read more

Great communication. Caring, excellent follow up. I highly recommend this team!! Thank you

Ms. Barbara, the owner, is very sweet and caring. She runs this place and also teaches future speech therapists. My son started attending here since 2005 and he made a lot of progress. He was diagnosed with severe nonverbal Autism with childhood apraxia of speech and now when he is 16 years old, he is able is to be verbal. I appreciate this place and as long as I am committed, they are able to work with me. I am very thankful for Barbra and the team!! read more

A blessing to our family to have SPA in our lives! The therapists and staff are wonderful and we've had consistency and amazing progress. read more

I've always disliked Speech Pathology Associates (SPA) ever since I went here as a kid, they've always thought I was challenged even through I'm taking IB classes right now. I recommend to not chose the place unless you make a fortune, or else this place will cost you an arm and a leg. Here's why. When I went to this place for the "help improvement " my speech SPA gave the usual 30min session. Though it was more like 15 minutes of practice and 15 minutes of playing on the iPad or random board games. Sure for a kid this entertainment is what a kid loves at a younger age. But when the total price per session is $30. You should be paying for your child to get the quality teaching they need. Furthermore, if you miss you session which is 2 times a week you have to pay a $70 for each miss session you missed. Heck sometimes my speech tutor didn't even show up sometimes, and SPA didn't even notify my family that our tutor wasn't going to show up. Lastly, SPA always tricked my parents to thinking i needed more help even when I didn't need anymore help. Therefore, I was a former child who went the SPA and I don't recommend going here but instead, I recommend to find alternative options. read more

BEWARE!!!! Total Scamers only out to nickle and dime you. Scheduling is a total nightmare and my child never had the same therapist because they were unable to give us a set schedule. Office staff is so unorganized and unprofessional. This office is so all over the place it's a joke! No way are they out for the good of the children. Sad and disgusting! read more

Their cancellation and reschedule policy is ridiculous. If you need to reschedule your appointment it has to be done within the same week based on what they have available only and if you can't make it to the time slots they have available they will charge you $140 for any missed or cancelled appointment. Like other reviews mentioned they are all about the money!! I guess we can't even go on a vacation since we would have to pay for a missed appointment read more

Poor customer service. I called to make an appt and they put me on hold twice. Each time a different person as for my son's info then placed me on hold. After second time holding, they tell me Scheduling will give me a call back At Their Convenient time (not mine...). This is the answer I received after 15min waiting. read more

SPA has been a part of our family since our son was 2. We have had a great experience with our speech pathologist, Leora. Our initial sessions were difficult, as our son is on the spectrum and initially had behaviors during speech as he could not communicate his needs, and as all young children did not want to be there. Leora took the time to get to know our child, and build rapport with him. She listened to us as parents, took the information provided and applied it in sessions. I know this as I was present during all of them. I never once felt forced to leave the room as with other speech locations. My son is now five, and has accomplished numerous goals, and has increased his vocabulary so much over the past three years. My family and I know he would not be who he is without the help of Leora, and SPA. He calls Leora his family, which is meant in the truest sense of the word. The staff at SPA has always been kind and understanding. We've needed to reschedule a few appointments but have never felt forced or pushed to immediately make them up. On the contrary, we were provided with additional time to make up our appointments (obviously within a reasonable amount of time) as long as I communicated with the Office Manager, Mrs. Karen, about our needs. For some of the make-up sessions we did have to use alternative therapists, but each one we have had has been great, and instructed my son with the same passion and dedication as Leora. My family and I would highly recommend SPA for families who believe in taking an active, consist role in their child's growth, as this is what SPA and their employees have done, and continue to do, with our son. read more

I agree with other reviewers. The therapists we've had there are wonderful. We've seen a lot...for regular sessions and make-ups. But, the administration needs to drastically change its policies. They're draconian for both families and therapists. We lost both of our regular therapists, as they changed clinics because they were so frustrated with the admin. We've had both group and individual therapy and like many of the techniques and programs used (e.g. "Social Thinking" by Garcia). My son has HFA and made significant improvements in his ability to inference and predict. Also, in supporting his observations. read more

As a behavior therapist, I have sat in on many sessions with the SPA team and have always been impressed with their care, knowledge, treatment plans, and expertise. It is an amazing thing to see the progress made from session to session. The team is very skilled and works closely our behavioral team to provide excellent continuity of care. I would highly recommend the SPA team to anyone in need of a speech pathologist. read more

Love this place! My child has been coming here for about a year give or take and I've had no issues! The therapists are amazing! My child has seen multiple therapists for makeups and all are great! Front desk Cassandra and Emily are also great! Thy are both so kind and patient when it comes to helping you with anything. I can have a mom brain 50% of the time and not once have they complained! As far as scheduling goes it's very easy and set in stone. You sign the policies when you get here so you should know what the expect don't know why the other parents complain?? Actually read the policies and maybe you wouldn't have a problem!!!! It's basically every appointment missed they give you 2 business weeks to make it up. You don't do it they charge you. Simple. They give you more time if needed they're not too strict about the two weeks. If you don't call to cancel your appointment they also charge you. Again simple. They let you slide(in certain circumstances). All and all amazing place!!! read more

UnfortunateIy the staff is wonderful but the owner is terrible! All she wants is to profit and doesn't care about helping children. My daughter and son went here for speech and I LOVED it until I had to deal with the owner. She is heartless and only cares about herself. For 2 years I didn't have to pay a co-payment for our insurance. When my plan changed I called the insurance and they informed me I still didn't have a co-payment. For one full year no one at the front desk asked me for a payment not once. One day get a bill for $1000! Long story short my insurance said they were partly at fault so they paid $500, but the owner wouldn't let up on how we owed them another $500. This took a year of battle with her. If I would have known I had to pay a copayment I wouldn't have had this huge bill. If the office staff would do their job and say a years ago I had a co-payment this wouldn't be an issue I don't expect free services, but come on this was my insurances fault AND SPA's fault. All the owner kept saying was how they wanted my $ and how they would take me to court, no empathy at all. I have an autistic daughter and had to pay for many therapies, and this has never happened at another place. Finally just paid them to get them off my back. read more

I was referred here by a few people and made an appointment for an evaluation, we knew that we had to pay of pocket for services so we chose this place based on all the great recommendations. It took over 2 months to get an appointment in the books and had to pay a $100 deposit to make and keep the appointment. Almost 2 weeks before our appointment, our diagnosis changed for our daughter and insurance would now cover our services, at which point I decided to go with a speech place within our network so we wouldn't have to pay. Once I called SPA to cancel the appointment and explain that our situation changed and we have more information now, they informed me that they would keep my $100 deposit. Legally, I had signed a paper saying that I knew it was non refundable. That is my part. But the office manager and the owner decided even though our situation had changed they would keep our $100. The office manager claimed it was to pay for the 2 hours of the pathologist's time. Knowing full well that it took over 2 months to get this appointment, I know that they will get that date and time covered based off a wait list. So now they will be getting a new client to pay $100 for that appointment and still will be keeping my $100. Sounds like a business to make money not to help kids who need speech therapy. Sad that it happened this way, especially since I have a sweet friend who works there. It looks like the owner cares more about money that helping others. In that case, I am glad we will not be using their services. Additionally, we called another speech therapist in the area and got in the same week for an appointment. We are better off. But I want my $100 back! read more

Run, do not walk, away from this business. While their speech therapists are very good, their office staff, administration and owner are horrible. They believe "speech therapy is the most important thing your child does." As a result, they do not allow you to miss an appointment without making it up. Ever. We had been going there for 5 years and I adhered to all their policies, despite the stress. The final straw was when my son had to miss when he was away for a week for 5th grade science camp. When I was unable to schedule an after school makeup, the office manager told me I needed to pull him out of school to schedule the makeup. No rational person would think that is a good idea. We left this place, easily found a MUCH better speech pathologist. I so regret the 5 years I spent there, sending my child when he was sick or being stressed about missing an appointment. There are so many BETTER options out there. read more