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Sumlar Therapy: Building Partnerships & Bettering The Lives of Children & Families

Getting Started with Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc.

Based in Ozark, AL, Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. offers school-based and clinic-based pediatric therapy services for children with special needs. Our therapist-owned clinic opened in 2001. As the years passed, we expanded our facility, incorporated more technology, and increased our services in response to the needs of the times and our community.

Young boy standing up at Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc
We offer pediatric physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to children across Alabama. During the school year, our team of pediatric therapists partner with educators in multiple school districts to provide school-based therapy services. We offer pediatric therapy services year-round in our 4,000 sq. ft. clinic. Our clinic-based therapy services are directed from pediatrician referrals.

If you are an educator interested in learning Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy services within your district, please read through the information below. We also have resources for parents interested in learning how they can get their child started in treatment at our clinic in Ozark, AL.

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Educators

Our school-based therapy programs are centered around helping students with special needs learn, play, and interact with their classmates and learning environment in a more enriching way. Our occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists are contracted annually by school districts, but may also be available for short-term assignments

Why should I contract Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. for my school district?

Our school-based OT, PT, and speech therapy programs are adapted to a student’s individual needs and curriculum. Our therapists focus on creating programs that complement each student’s individual educational programs and integrate strategies that enhance their school day and access to educational opportunities.

When a school district contracts us to provide pediatric therapy services, we develop educationally appropriate programs tailored to your district and students’ needs. Our therapists appropriately document each evaluation and therapy session, and provide quarterly progress reports. In addition, we create monthly reports for administration to clearly communicate our work with your students. These can be organized by school building and other categories as requested by the Special Education Department or the CFO.

Enrolling Students in Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc.’s School-Based Therapy Programs

How do I initiate a referral?

To initiate a referral to Sumlar Therapy, both the school representative and the student’s parent must complete and sign the one-page referral form provided. Please ensure that ALL information requested is provided and LEGIBLE. Please include any special instructions, as well as the existing IEP and medical history if available.

Once completed, the school representative may EMAIL the form to email@sumlartherapy.com or FAX to 334-445-6363. We are no longer sending a notice of receipt, so please self-confirm that your fax or email was successful. If you have a question about the status of your referral, please email email@sumlartherapy.com.

How do I refer a student for school-based speech, physical, or occupational services?

If your school system has an existing contract for PT, OT, and/or speech therapy services with Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. please contact your Special Education Director or supervisor to confirm your school’s referral process.

Referral Requirements

To initiate a referral to Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc., both the school representative and the student’s parent must complete and sign our referral form. Please ensure that all information requested is provided and legible. Please include any special instructions, as well as the existing IEP and medical history if available.

Once completed, the school representative may email the form to email@sumlartherapy.com or fax it to 334-445-6363. If you have a question about the status of your referral, please call 334-445-6336 or email email@sumlartherapy.com.

What are the steps after submitting a referral?

Once the referral is received in our office, our goal is to evaluate your student within three weeks. We will email the completed therapy evaluation and recommendations to the school representative’s email as listed on the original referral.

You may then consider adding the therapy service to the IEP. If therapy is added, please provide a copy of the new IEP to the therapist so treatment can begin as indicated.

How is therapy at school different from therapy at the clinic?

Physical, occupational, or speech therapy can be part of a students’ educational program if the student receives special education services. PTs, OTs, and Speech Therapists tailor their therapy sessions to help students in their school, focusing on each student’s individual curriculum and campus environment. In the clinic or outpatient setting, therapists can expand their focus to assist with the needs of the child and family in the home, community, and school. For example, an OT in the school setting could help a child learn to tie their shoes since this is something they might do during the school day. In the clinic, the OT could also expand their focus to help a child learn the skills to dress themselves and brush their teeth since these activities of daily living would typically be done at home.

“I love everything about Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc., from the service providers to the office personnel, to the owner! They are well known for being fantastic at what they do. And they are just that in every aspect! I’m nothing but pleased, and I’ve had a long history with this company as an educator. Kudos!”

— Lynne

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Parents

Sumlar Therapy offers physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services for children of all ages, from infants to teenagers. We specialize in developmental delays and disorders and work with children of all ability levels. We welcome patients from Alabama communities and are proud to be a resource for military families stationed at Fort Novosel, formally known as Fort Rucker.

What are the benefits of choosing Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. for my child?

Throughout our 20+ years of operation, Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. has built a strong reputation for providing pediatric therapy services that help children achieve success in their everyday life. Our therapists are passionate about their work and are committed to offering innovative therapies and tailored programs.

We Offer Unique Modes of Treatment

One of the hallmarks of our clinic is our ability to provide aquatic therapy and hippotherapy as part of our OT, PT, and speech therapy programs. These modalities may be considered by our therapists for use in conjunction with our more traditional therapy plans.

Our pool is open during the summer months for aquatic therapy, and our outdoor riding arena with horses for hippotherapy is open year-round. Not every child receives aquatic or hippotherapy services. Your child’s therapist will discuss with you if either of these modes of therapy will be beneficial for your child.

Starting Your Child’s Therapy Program

We appreciate you considering our clinic for pediatric therapy for your child. Your child’s pediatrician will help you decide if your child would benefit from a professional speech therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy evaluation. The pediatrician’s office will send in a referral to Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. The referral form can be emailed to email@sumlartherapy.com or faxed to 334-445-6363.

We will contact you when we have an available appointment for the hour-long evaluation.

What do I need to bring to my child’s first appointment?

Before your child’s first therapy session, please print and complete the forms linked below. If you do not have access to a printer, please plan to come 20 minutes early to your first appointment to complete the paperwork.

 

  • Your pediatrician must provide a prescription or referral per your insurance or Medicaid guidelines before we can begin.
  • Bring your child’s insurance card or Alabama Medicaid card.
  • Bring your driver’s license or other photo ID.
  • If you are not the parent but you are the legal guardian, please provide documentation to support your guardianship.

How do I initiate a referral?

To initiate a referral to Sumlar Therapy, both the school representative and the student’s parent must complete and sign the one-page referral form provided. Please ensure that ALL information requested is provided and LEGIBLE. Please include any special instructions, as well as the existing IEP and medical history if available.

Once completed, the school representative may EMAIL the form to email@sumlartherapy.com or FAX to 334-445-6363. We are no longer sending a notice of receipt, so please self-confirm that your fax or email was successful. If you have a question about the status of your referral, please email email@sumlartherapy.com.

What happens at my child’s first appointment?

Your child’s first appointment for physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy will be an evaluation. These appointments usually take about 60 minutes. If your child may benefit from our services, we will discuss the recommended frequency of therapy.

How frequent will my child’s therapy sessions be?

If your child qualifies for therapy, we will set up regular 30-minute appointments once or twice per week. Please feel free to call us at 334-445-6336 to ensure that we have your best contact information, and to learn more about our services.

What is your appointment & cancellation policy?

We reserve an appointment for your child every week on the same day at the same time. Please plan to schedule other appointments around your therapy schedule whenever possible. If you cannot come to an appointment, you need to cancel in advance. If your child is sick, please cancel your appointment. We do not treat children with illnesses in the clinic.

If you miss appointments and fail to responsibly communicate with the clinic, your child will be removed from the schedule.

What insurance do you accept?

We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, AllKids, Tricare, and Medicaid. You can find out more information about your insurance benefits, deductibles, and copays from your insurance company, or you can call us at 334-445-6336 to speak to a member of our billing department.

What does sensory processing disorder mean?

Children with sensory processing disorder have trouble receiving and responding to information that comes into their brain through their senses: touch, smell, taste, hearing, vision, and proprioception (the “hidden sense” that tells us where our body is in space). The processing of information from one or more senses may be over- or under-responsive.

This can cause children to respond differently to things in their environment. For example, the feel of a tag in their shirt or texture of a certain food may be unbearable to some children. Occupational therapists consider treating sensory processing disorder when the symptoms become severe enough that they disrupt the child’s everyday life.

I think my child would benefit from aquatic therapy and/or hippotherapy; how do I proceed?

We offer aquatic therapy and hippotherapy as two of our unique modes of treatment in PT, OT, and Speech, in addition to a traditional model in a private treatment room or sensory gym. Therapists determine how to best address the goals set for each child and which mode of treatment may be beneficial. If your child is receiving therapy outside during any of their sessions, please remember that in the event of inclement weather, therapy continues uninterrupted inside.

Additional Services Available To Families In Alabama

 

Children under the age of 3 years may qualify for early intervention services. For more information and free materials, please visit the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services website  or call 1-800-543-3098

Children ages 3-21 years may qualify for special education services through their local school system. Please contact your school system’s office of special education services for more information.

“I have worked with Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. as both a professional educator and as a parent of a child with special needs. They have always shown themselves to be of the utmost quality and professionalism for all therapy needs. Highly recommended!”

— Mark

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Pediatricians

Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. offers physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services to children of all ability levels and ages. We also offer hippotherapy and aquatic therapy at our clinic for all three therapy disciplines. Additionally, we offer feeding therapy through our speech and occupational therapy programs. Through our Speech Therapy programs, we can also address dyslexia.

We specialize in working with patients with developmental delays and disorders. In order for a child to be considered for our clinic-based pediatric therapy services, we require a referral from their pediatrician. To refer your patient, please send a prescription and/or referral with diagnosis codes, recent documentation of the visit at which you discussed concerns and the need for therapy, and patient demographic information.

Referrals and documentation can be faxed to 334-445-6363 or emailed to email@sumlartherapy.com. We frequently have a waiting list at our clinic, but we work diligently to get patients evaluated and begin therapy.

“My daughter has been coming twice a week to Sumlar for over a year now. Everyone is so nice and helpful. She gets excited for all of her therapy times which has really helped her progress. From the wonderful ladies in the reception/front office to the hard working therapists, Sumlar is like a second family to all of its patients.”

— Brittany

To speak with a member of our staff regarding our pediatric therapy services, please contact us today at 334-445-6336.

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Interns & Guests

The team at Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. is committed to supporting the education of future pediatric physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. We offer internship opportunities for individuals enrolled in accredited therapy programs and guest observation opportunities for individuals considering an education and career in PT, OT, and speech therapy.

Internships

Through partnerships with universities across the country, Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. offers a challenging and unique setting for pediatric therapy internships for PT, OT, and Speech-Language Pathologists. Additionally, we provide internship opportunities for Physical Therapist Assistants and Occupational Therapist Assistants, and general undergraduate internships in a in a clinic or school setting.

If you are enrolled in an accredited therapy program and would like to participate in an internship at Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc., contact your program’s academic clinical coordinator for more information.

Guest Observation Opportunities

Are you considering a career in the field of pediatric PT, OT, or speech therapy? We offer guest observation opportunities for interested individuals. If you would like to observe, please call our office at 334-445-6336 or email us at email@sumlartherapy.com to reserve your time.

Many observers stay between 2-4 hours, and some repeat the experience a few times as they consider the field. Many therapy programs require applicants to volunteer or observe therapists at work, so you may want to document your hours at Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc.

Guest Observation Policies

Our policies for Guest Observers are as follows:

 

  • Confidentiality is very important to all of our patients and families. Identifying information such as names and diagnoses are not to be used outside of the facility. You must sign a confidentiality form and turn it in at the clinic on your first day.
  • Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc. will accept one observer at a time for PT, OT, or Speech.
  • Observers must wear a Guest badge which is available at the front desk upon arrival.
  • Observers may not be able to observe some therapy sessions due to the comfort levels of patients and families. Please check with the treating therapist before observing a session.
  • Dress Code: Long shorts, pants, or jeans; short-sleeve shirts or longer sleeves; no visible skin at waistline—shirts must cover waistbands; tennis shoes; modest jewelry; no perfume or cologne; professional appearance.
  • Please do not disrupt therapy sessions.
  • Observers are responsible for keeping an updated log of their own hours, if needed.

“The people that work there were very nice and helpful. I learned many skills by observing the speech therapist work with the children. I got to observe therapy by using horses and also aquatic therapy. The most enjoyable part about this experience was watching the children succeed.”

— Guest Observer

For further questions regarding our pediatric therapy services, please contact us today at 334-445-6336.

Sumlar Therapy Services, Inc.
193 Sam Lisenby Rd
Ozark, AL 36360

Business Hours:
Monday — Thursday:
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Friday:
8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Saturday & Sunday:
Closed

Phone: 334-445-6336

Fax: 334-445-6363

Email: email@sumlartherapy.com