Speech therapy for kids in Austin — without the search from zero.
Care Connect Kids tracks 100+ speech therapy clinics across the Austin metro, so one search shows you who works with your child's age, who takes your insurance or Medicaid, and who is near you. This page is the map: what speech therapy covers, the three doors by age, how Texas families pay for it, and what to ask before you choose.
Set up a free account in under two minutes: your child's age, the therapy you're looking for, your insurance or Medicaid plan, and your zip code. We never ask for a diagnosis. Then see speech therapy clinics near you, the insurance each one lists, and whether they see children in the clinic, at home, or both.
What does pediatric speech therapy cover?
More than speech sounds. Speech therapy — also called speech-language therapy, or ST — covers language (understanding words and putting them together), social communication, alternative ways to communicate such as AAC devices, and, to many parents' surprise, feeding and swallowing. It is provided by a speech-language pathologist (SLP); CCC-SLP after a name is their national clinical certification, and an SLP assistant (SLPA) works under an SLP's supervision.
The words in an evaluation — articulation, apraxia, stuttering, receptive and expressive language — are explained in our specialty decoder, and feeding has its own feeding therapy guide. Whether your child needs speech therapy, and how often, is a call for the SLP who evaluates your child. Care Connect Kids doesn't make that call — we help you find the clinics that fit once it is made.
Three doors, depending on your child's age
Speech therapy in Texas comes through three separate systems. Many families use more than one at the same time.
- Under three: Texas ECI. Early Childhood Intervention is the state's program for babies and toddlers. Anyone can refer a child, including you, and a diagnosis is not needed to refer. A child qualifies with a delay of at least 25 percent in one or more areas, or at least 33 percent when the only delay is in expressive communication. The program has 45 days from your referral to evaluate and write a plan. The evaluation, the plan, and service coordination are always at no cost; services have a monthly maximum based on family size and income, which is $0 for families on Medicaid or at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Services often happen at home or at daycare. Every ECI program in Texas is listed on Care Connect Kids with the counties it serves; you enroll through the program's own intake. Our ECI getting-started guide covers the referral step by step.
- From three: your school district. ECI ends on the third birthday, and the district runs its own evaluation. Speech at school is provided through an IEP, at no cost, and it answers a narrower question: what does your child need to make progress at school? That can be a smaller amount than your child benefits from overall. The age-three transition guide and the ARD decoder cover the school side.
- At any age: a private clinic. Private speech therapy is where families go for a specific therapist, a specialty, more intensity, or a shorter wait. You can do it alongside ECI or school speech, and many families do.
How Austin families pay for speech therapy
- Private insurance. Some plans limit the number of speech therapy visits in a year. Ask your plan, in these words: “Is speech therapy covered for my child, is a referral or authorization required, and is there a visit limit?” If no in-network clinic is available, plans regulated by Texas have to help you reach one out of network at your in-network cost — ask for a network gap exception. Many employer plans are self-funded and follow federal rules instead; the open-enrollment guide explains how to tell which kind you have.
- Texas Medicaid. Medically necessary speech therapy is covered for children and youth under 21 under Medicaid's children's benefit, Texas Health Steps. A clinic can work with one Medicaid health plan and not another, so when you call, ask about your child's plan by name.
- ECI and school. Both are public paths: ECI with the family cost share described above, and school speech through an IEP at no cost. Many children do these alongside private therapy.
- Self-pay, HSA/FSA, and superbills. Speech therapy for a diagnosed or evaluated need usually counts as an HSA or FSA expense. When a clinic is out of network, many provide a superbill you can submit for reimbursement — ask. The paying-for-therapy guide covers the mechanics.
In the clinic, at home, or by video
Speech therapy happens in a clinic, in your home, at your child's daycare, or over video. For some children and some goals, video visits work well for speech in particular, and they draw on a different pool of availability. Ask the clinic whether your child is a good candidate and whether your plan covers it. The in-home therapy guide covers the trade-offs, and the waitlist guide covers what to do while you wait.
What to ask a speech therapy clinic before you start
- Who will work with my child? Ask whether sessions are with a speech-language pathologist or an assistant, and how the two work together.
- Do you work with what my child's evaluation named? Speech therapy is broad, and not every speech therapist does everything — feeding, AAC devices, stuttering, and apraxia are each their own area. The specialty therapist guide covers how to search for one.
- How will I see progress, and what do we do at home? Expect written goals and a regular review of them.
- Are you in network with my plan or Medicaid plan — and is there a wait? Ask both; “we accept your insurance” and “we're in network” don't mean quite the same thing.
- Is the wait shorter at other hours or by video? Many families ask for the same after-school slots, so less popular hours can be worth asking about.
Our guide to choosing a pediatric therapy clinic has the longer list.
Across the Austin metro
The 100+ speech therapy clinics we track span the metro. The Austin metro page shows coverage by city across all four therapy types, and the zip-code check answers “are you in my area?” in one step.
It's completely free for families. No subscription, no hidden fees — clinics pay for the platform, you get the full experience at no cost. We never ask for a diagnosis or medical details — only what's needed to match.
Questions Austin families ask about speech therapy
What does pediatric speech therapy cover?
More than speech sounds. Speech therapy, also called speech-language therapy or ST, covers language (understanding words and putting them together), social communication, alternative ways to communicate such as AAC devices, and often feeding and swallowing. It is provided by a speech-language pathologist (SLP); an SLP assistant (SLPA) works under an SLP’s supervision.
Do I need a referral or a diagnosis to start speech therapy for a toddler in Texas?
Not for Texas ECI. For a child under three, anyone can refer a child to Early Childhood Intervention, including you, and a diagnosis is not needed to refer. The evaluation is at no cost to the family. For a private clinic, it depends on your insurance: ask your plan whether it requires a referral or prior authorization for speech therapy.
How much of a speech delay qualifies for ECI in Texas?
At least a 25 percent delay in one or more developmental areas on the state-designated evaluation, or at least 33 percent if the only delay is in expressive communication. A child can also qualify through a diagnosis on the state’s qualifying list, or a hearing or vision impairment.
Is school speech therapy enough, or do we need private therapy too?
It depends on what your child needs. School speech is provided through an IEP and is scoped to what your child needs to make progress at school, so it can be a smaller amount than a child benefits from overall. Many families keep private speech therapy alongside school services. Ask the speech-language pathologist who evaluated your child what they recommend.
Does Texas Medicaid cover speech therapy for children?
Yes. Medically necessary speech therapy is covered for children and youth under 21 under Medicaid’s children’s benefit, called Texas Health Steps. A clinic can work with one Medicaid health plan and not another, so when you call, ask about your child’s plan by name.
Does insurance limit speech therapy visits?
Some plans do, so ask before you start: “Is speech therapy covered for my child, is a referral or authorization required, and is there a visit limit?” When no in-network provider is available, plans regulated by Texas have to help you reach one out of network at your in-network cost; ask for a network gap exception.
Can speech therapy be done by video?
For some children and some goals, yes. Video visits work well for speech therapy in particular, and they draw on a different pool of availability. Ask the clinic whether your child is a good candidate and whether your plan covers it.