FAQ’s

A: #1 We only see babies!  This means that Dr. Kops is always seeking opportunities to advance her training, and it is always focused on infants!

A: #2 As a small specialty provider we are truly invested in you and your baby.   We encourage families to reach out whenever they have questions, need a little extra support, or just want someone to help celebrate their baby’s latest accomplishment.  We also value collaborating with other healthcare professionals that may be involved in your baby’s care so everyone can be on the same page for best possible outcomes. Many larger clinics don’t allow time in therapist schedules for additional family support during or between sessions, collaboration with other providers, or other “non-billable” activities.

A Yes! Lactation consultants come from a vide variety of professional backgrounds and have varied areas of expertise. In cases where infant motor or sensory skills seem to be barriers, it is especially important to either work with an IBCLC who is a physical or occupational therapist, or work with an IBCLC who is comfortable referring out or collaborating with a PT or OT. These are some “red flags”:

• You’ve already worked with other IBCLCs or feeding therapist and not seen expected improvements
• Baby has persistently shrugged shoulders
• Difficult to position during feeding
• Seems difficult to change diaper, clothes
• Seems floppy (lower tone or strength)
• Frequently furrowed brow
• Red neck creases
• Hates tummy time
• Seems to almost always look to one side
• Often tilts head to same side
• C-curved body
• Uneven mouth opening
• Asymmetrical tongue lateralization
• Asymmetrical tongue elevation
• Can’t open mouth wide
• Disorganized suck
• Hates car seat
• Baby often seems uncomfortable
• Baby becomes dysregulated during feeding (poor state control, color changes, breathing changes, etc.)
• Baby is difficult to engage in oral habilitation or other developmental handling and positioning activities

A: This just means that we have not contracted to be an in-network provider and families pay us directly for services. If requested, we can provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement at out-of-network rates. If you have questions about what your reimbursement rates are, call your insurance provider and ask directly.

A: Being out-of-network for physical therapy services allows us to focus entirely on providing high quality, individualized care .  We aim to fully educate and empower families during our time together, which isn’t possible while strictly adhering to what insurance companies deem skilled, billable physical therapy.  We also are able to increase or decrease service frequency on an ongoing basis to reflect current need, clinical opinion of the therapist, and family preferences instead of trying to comply with arbitrary timelines. 

A: This will be highly dependent on specific situation, but we know that the sooner we intervene, the more quickly and completely we are able to address the issue.  Some families are able to have their needs addressed in one or two visits while others require regular followup for several months.  Generally, session frequency is highest at the beginning and tapers off.

A: Nope! Virginia allows patients to have direct access to doctors of physical therapy (DPTs).

A: Pediatricians are wonderful for a lot of things, but physical therapists are the experts in motor development.  A physical therapist specializing in infants should be consulted as soon as a concern is identified.  For example, when plagiocephaly is identified early we can often make significant change in as little as one week and ultimately avoid a helmet altogether.  As babies get older, however, conservative management becomes less and less effective.  If you have a concern please reach out and we can discuss during a free phone call so you can make an educated decision about how to move forward.

A: The generic neck stretch handouts you find online are not individualized to your baby, and do not take the whole body complexities of torticollis into account. They also completely ignore the fact that asymmetrical strength is usually a bigger issue than the “tightness” that families notice initially.  Please see a pediatric physical therapist to identify interventions that will best help your individual baby, and to learn how to complete them safely.

A: Yes! Cranial orthoses can do a great job of reshaping a baby’s head, but don’t address the underlying muscular imbalances that likely caused the head shape concern in the first place.

Telehealth is offered on a very limited basis, typically only when extenuating circumstances prevent an in-person follow-up session.