New Clients

What to expect and how to prepare for your first visit

Whether you have concerns or your physician has made a referral for therapy services, hearing that your child is in need of therapy services can be a scary thought.  You may begin asking yourself many questions.  What will this mean for my child’s future?  How can I help my child improve?  What type of services will be most beneficial for my child?

Here at Orange Pediatric Therapy, our staff is dedicated to improving the well-being of every child we treat.  We take a family centered approach to treatment so that all members involved in that child’s care can be involved in the growth and development of his or her skills.  From the very first phone call to the final therapy session, we do our very best to ensure that you and your child feel comfortable in the hands of our skilled clinicians.

Our office staff will work closely with your family throughout the course of treatment to accommodate a range of scheduling needs and answer insurance questions and billing related inquiries.

New client forms

To assist you with getting the most out of your first visit with us in a timely fashion, please complete all the tasks below:

  1. Insurance Information – Please bring your membership card with you.
  2. New Client Medical Form pdf_icon – This form will provide us important information regarding your child’s developmental and medical history.  Please print and fill out.
  3. Notice of Privacy Practices pdf_icon – This form educates you on how we comply with healthcare and government regulation to protect your privacy.  Please print and read.
  4. Acknowledgement of Notice of Privacy Practices pdf_icon – This form provides us acknowledgement that you’ve read and understand our privacy practices.  Please print and fill out.
  5. Feeding Questionnaire – For families looking to have their child’s feeding skills evaluated, this will provide the therapist(s) with relevant background information to assist them in completing your child’s evaluation.  This will need to be reviewed before scheduling the Feeding Evaluation.  Please print and fill out the age appropriate form.

What to expect on your first visit

Whether your child is coming for Physical, Occupational or Speech Therapy, you can expect to see a similar process across disciplines.  The evaluating therapist will meet with you and your child to gather information about your child and his or her needs.  Once the necessary information is obtained, the therapist will move onto the evaluation portion of the visit.  In most cases, the family is welcome to stay in the room for the evaluation, but if the child appears to perform better alone, the family may be asked to step out of the room for certain evaluation tasks.  You may also be asked to complete additional paperwork at this time if deemed necessary by evaluating therapist.

Once the evaluation is complete, the therapist will make a recommendation for therapy services.  These recommendations are patient specific and may range from the child not requiring services to weekly services to multiple times per week. If therapy services are recommended, the therapist will discuss the focus of treatment with you and will work with you to formulate therapy goals in order to help your child reach his or her maximum potential.

Before you leave our office on your first visit, our staff will work with you to develop a treatment schedule based on therapist recommendations.

What to expect during the course of treatment

If your child is recommended to receive therapy services by one of our skilled clinicians, the treating therapist will provide you with regular feedback throughout the course of treatment so that you have an understanding of your child’s progress.  In most cases, you will also be asked to carry out a home exercise program with your child in order to supplement the interventions they are receiving here at Orange Pediatric Therapy.

Family involvement is crucial in helping your child reach his or her maximum level of success.  If at any point during the course of treatment you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress or programming, do not hesitate to discuss these with the treating therapist.

Once your child has met all of his or her therapy goals or it is determined that therapy is no long appropriate, and the treating therapist feels that additional goals are not warranted based on your child’s level of functioning, your child will be recommended for discharge from therapy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our therapists and staff are here to serve your child’s needs and support the family. Below is a list of commonly asked questions on our office procedures and policies. Select the +/- signs to expand and contract the question of interest. If you don’t see an answer to what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Most major insurances are accepted. However, insurance participation does vary from one therapy to the next. Please see our Insurance Plans section for a complete listing of accepted insurances by therapy category.

The evaluating therapist will meet with you and your child in the beginning of the evaluation session to obtain patient information relevant to treatment. Parent concerns will also be discussed at this time. Once all relevant information is received, the therapist will begin the evaluation process. Evaluation testing may be standardized, function based or a combination of the two depending upon your child’s needs. At the end of the evaluation period, the therapist will discuss initial findings with you. Once the documentation is completed, the therapist will send a copy of the findings to your referring physician. A copy of the evaluation can also be made available to you upon request.

Generally, your doctor will write a prescription for therapy. At the time of your initial appointment, you should bring your child’s prescription as well as his/her insurance card. You will be asked to fill out some paperwork prior to your child being seen.  Check out our New Client Forms section for more detailed information.
For your convenience you can access our New Client Forms for easy download, printing and completion prior to your visit to save you time.
We do offer services at an out of pocket cost.  Please checkout the Insurance Plans we do accept, or contact us for current out of pocket rates.
Our therapists generally treat clients from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm, Monday-Friday, and 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, although this does vary by location.  Morning hours do vary depending on individual therapist schedules as well as during school vacations.  Read more about our hours of operation by location.
Our primary facility is located in Cheshire but have a satellite location in Meriden and here in Orange, as well.  We also offer several therapy options throughout schools in the surrounding communities for your convenience.  Obtain address and/or directions to our different locations.

What Clients Are Saying

As a physical therapist at Cheshire Fitness Zone, I have seen firsthand the positive impact therapy services have had on so many children and their families. We are very family-oriented at Cheshire Fitness Zone and are constantly working with our families to help reach their goals for their children. It is an extremely rewarding feeling to see a child learn mobility skills that they were unable to perform prior to starting therapy services. The staff at Cheshire Fitness Zone is dedicated to providing the best care possible for all the children that they work with.
Anonymous
Cheshire Fitness Zone has been wonderful. We have worked with many of the therapists for OT and PT and have had excellent experiences with all of them. They were very accommodating to our schedule. And even on a day where my son was not into working they are always able to get him to work. Their front office is very pleasant and are always smiling when we arrive. I have to bring my other son when we come and the therapists are always willing to include both of them on days where it is difficult waiting in the lobby.
Don Hamilton
My girls have been going to Cheshire Fitness Zone since the summer of 2015 and the therapy they receive from their therapist is the best therapy they have ever received. The therapists are the friendliest and nicest group of therapists we have ever met. The girls enjoy going to therapy and I am very happy that we go to Cheshire Fitness Zone.
Anonymous
I am privileged to work with amazing children, wonderful families, skilled therapists, and professional staff each day at Cheshire Fitness Zone. We are a team working toward the best possible outcome for each unique child. I am so thankful to be a part of such a special place.
Anonymous
Both of our sons have participated in physical, occupational, and speech therapy at Cheshire Fitness Zone. We make the forty minute trek to Cheshire three times per week because the therapists are like none other we have encountered. Our sons (4 and 5 years old) have received therapy since birth and I was so pleased to have found Cheshire Fitness Zone. Both of my kids have been challenged and nurtured by the therapists. They are so amazing with the kids and I am thankful for their dedication.
Katy Blanchette
Cheshire Fitness Zone provides staff at our school that understands the role of related service providers in educational settings, meet the educationally related needs of the students, and communicate well with faculty, staff, and parents. They exhibit a high degree of professionalism and state of the art physical therapy.
Anonymous
Cheshire Fitness Zone has been absolutely wonderful for my family. All of the staff and therapists treat the children with respect and truly care about their development. The therapists are always available to ask questions and are extremely knowledgeable. The front desk staff alway works to accommodate our schedule and are always friendly and kind. I always refer Cheshire Fitness Zone to other families who are looking for services for their children.
Anonymous
My twelve year old daughter has been seeing Craig since she was four years old and she loves coming to the ‘gym.’ I love that she refers to it as the ‘gym’ instead of therapy. She sees her therapy as a place where she works her body to become stronger and has fun. She is disappointed if therapy is canceled. The staff is wonderful and works to find the right fit with each child and therapist. They work across modalities and communicate with the school and her doctors. I am thankful to have Cheshire Fitness Zone in my daughter’s life! Thank you!
Heather M.
I honestly can’t thank you enough for all the time you spent with us and the very valuable advice that you gave.
The Cristo Family
We have been coming to Cheshire Fitness Zone for fifteen years. Our son has a motor dyspraxia which causes challenges with posture, upper body strength, and affects his fine motor skills too. After coming consistently every week for 1-2 visits he has surpassed many of his physical challenges. Now as a young man he takes physical challenges like 5k’s and bike challenges with a smile. We are grateful to the many physical therapists he has had over the years. Each of them has encouraged him and pushed him to improve in a gentle, but firm way, and always with a sense of humor. Our son looks forward to coming every week.
The Anthony’s

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