Answers, with the prices attached.

You’ve probably asked a few of these out loud already. To a pediatrician who said give it time. To a school district that said he doesn’t qualify. These are the real answers, with the prices attached and nothing buried.

If your question isn’t here, call (516) 744-7550 and ask. You will not get a sales pitch.

Do we need a referral to start?

In New York, a licensed occupational therapist can evaluate and treat your child for up to 30 days without a physician referral. That applies to non-restorative services such as handwriting, learning and developmental skill training, when your child is not in acute care. After that window, or if your insurance plan requires one, we will ask you for a prescription from your pediatrician. Call us at (516) 744-7550 and we will tell you which one applies to your child before you book anything.

What ages do you work with?

Ages 2 through 16, in individual sessions and in groups. The 2,100 square foot gym stretches across that whole range: the same room a two-year-old crawls through is the one a teenager climbs. What changes from child to child is the plan, not the place.

Do you take our insurance?

Planet Sensory is an out-of-network provider. If your plan has out-of-network benefits, we submit the claims on your behalf and your plan reimburses you at whatever rate it covers. If it does not, you can use our self-pay rates, and FSA and HSA cards are welcome. Send us your member ID before the first visit and we will help you find out what your plan actually pays.

What does therapy here cost?

The comprehensive initial evaluation is $360. After that, sessions are $90 for 30 minutes, $135 for 45 minutes and $180 for 60 minutes. Buying ahead costs less: an 8-session package is 10% off and a 12-session package is 15% off. You will know your child’s session length and how many sessions the plan calls for before you pay for anything past the evaluation.

How can we pay?

We accept credit cards, cash, checks, FSA cards and HSA cards. If a package would cost you less than paying visit to visit, ask us and we will price it both ways for you.

What happens if our out-of-network benefits run out?

Care does not stop. If benefits run out partway through a plan, we move to private pay and set up a payment plan so your child can finish what they started. Tell us as soon as you see it coming, so we can adjust the plan instead of pausing it.

How long will my child need therapy?

Long enough to finish, and not longer. This is a plan with an endpoint, not a standing appointment. Progress is reassessed regularly, and discharge planning begins once your child is meeting their goals with at least 80% accuracy. You then leave with a home program so the gains hold after the sessions stop.

My child already gets OT at school. Is this different?

Yes, and the two are meant to work together. School-based OT is written around access to the school day, and it is often short and shared. Here your child gets one-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist in a 2,100 square foot sensory gym, on goals your family helped write. Ester collaborates directly with your child’s school, and she is an evaluator for the NYC Board of Education’s CPSE preschool program, so she knows that side from the inside.

Can I watch the session?

Yes, all of it. HD cameras stream the session to a television in the waiting area, so you see exactly what your child is doing and how they are doing it. After every session you get a debrief: what they worked on, what moved, and what to try at home. You never have to guess what happened behind a closed door.

What actually happens at the first visit?

The first visit is the comprehensive initial evaluation. You talk through what you have been noticing at home and at school, and Ester watches your child move and play in the gym to find what is underneath it. Nothing about it looks like a doctor’s office. You leave with a plain-language explanation of what is going on and goals you helped set.

I am not sure my child needs anything. Should we still come in?

That is the most common reason parents call, and it is a good reason. You do not need a diagnosis or a checklist to schedule an appointment. If we look at your child and think nothing is needed, we will tell you that. Waiting has a cost that a phone call does not: skills build on skills, and the year spent waiting is a year your child works harder than everyone around them to keep up.

Still deciding?

You didn’t need a checklist to tell you something was different. You’ve known for a while. The parents who get here fastest are the ones who stopped waiting for someone else to confirm it.

Schedule an appointment on the request an appointment page, or read the rates and first-visit details first.