Orion Behavioral Health Network

A Wasilla clinic at 1174 N Leatherleaf Loop, Unit D, evaluates children for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy, and also offers feeding therapy, behavioral therapy, and teletherapy. Educational services include dyslexia testing and intervention, reading and spelling, homework help, and advocacy, with plans for struggling readers, math learners, and students who are dyslexic or gifted. Sessions use a sensory gym and therapeutic equipment. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Accepted plans include Alaska Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tricare, EBMS, Aetna, and United Health, along with other major insurances. In-network plans include Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tricare, MODA, and Alaska Medicaid. Homeschool stipends from Raven, IDEA, Mat Su Central, and Twingley Bridge are accepted as well. Copays are due at the time of service, and deductibles are due in the month they are billed. At an initial evaluation, a front-office coordinator meets the family in the waiting room. Depending on the child's age and the tests needed, the therapist may invite a parent into the evaluation, offer observation through a one-way window, or have the parent wait outside.

A New Day ABA provides applied behavior analysis in Anchorage through home, school, and community settings. The practice is currently at capacity and is referring families to other Anchorage ABA services. Intake starts with an application and packet, then a benefits check when one is needed, a functional assessment interview, and a formal assessment at home. The team then reviews the treatment decision and builds a plan from the assessment and medical necessity. A parent or guardian reviews that plan before any required insurance authorization.

Children in Anchorage can receive occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, physical therapy, feeding therapy, and dyslexia treatment at this pediatric clinic. Occupational therapy includes visual perceptual assessment and treatment, fine motor programs, neuromuscular re-education, sensory integration and regulation, activities of daily living, pediatric aquatic therapy, pediatric yoga, the Listening Program, support for handwriting and academic difficulties, and social behavior skills used in play and school. Speech-language therapy begins with a comprehensive assessment. A speech-language pathologist uses formal assessments, behavioral observations, parent report, and background information, compares the results with development expected for the child's age, and builds an individual treatment program that is reviewed as the child progresses. Family training covers the vocabulary and strategies practiced in sessions. Physical therapy serves infants, toddlers, and children up to age 21, using play-based activities, handling techniques, and work on motor milestones such as rolling, pushing to sit, pulling to stand, cruising along a surface, walking, stairs, running, jumping, and kicking a ball. Evaluations use standardized tests, observation, and caregiver input. Conditions that may be treated include plagiocephaly, torticollis, balance and coordination disorders, developmental delay, toe walking, autism spectrum disorders, and cerebral palsy. Alaska allows a child to see a pediatric physical therapist without a physician referral, and this clinic still asks for a written prescription for physical therapy evaluation and treatment before sessions begin. Feeding therapy is provided by speech and occupational therapists and uses the SOS Approach to Feeding. That method is for children moving from a feeding tube to table food, working on chewing, or avoiding new foods because of sensory sensitivities, and it covers sensory, motor, and behavioral parts of eating, from new textures to oral-motor skills and a wider range of foods. Dyslexia treatment is provided by speech-language pathologists and focuses on reading and writing.