Speech Therapy Services

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) assess, diagnose, treat and help to prevent speech, language, and communication disorders. Speech and language problems can result from a variety of problems including hearing loss, brain injury or deterioration, cerebral palsy, stroke, cleft palate, voice pathology, mental retardation, or emotional problems. These problems can be congenital, developmental or acquired. SLPs use written and oral tests, as well as specialized instruments, to diagnose the nature and extent of impairment and to record and analyze speech, language, and swallowing irregularities.

Speech disorders are problems of expression characterized by difficulty with forming speech sounds or producing voice. Language disorders are characterized by difficulty in comprehension and expression. Causes of speech and language disorders include environmental–behavioral influences, neurological diseases and injuries, viral infections, neuromuscular diseases, stroke, head injury, and genetic deviations.

Speech Therapy Services for Adults

Communication, a critical part of speech therapy services is a two-way process in which people exchange information. We send information by speaking, writing, gesturing, and touching. We receive information by listening, reading, watching or feeling Our daily activities and our interpersonal relationships depend greatly on our communication skills Perhaps this is realized most fully when our ability to communicate is interrupted.

Communication difficulties can have a devastating affect on the quality of our lives, isolation, and loss of self-esteem frequently develop. In adults, impaired communication skills can interfere with social-verbal interactions, economic opportunities, and self-sufficiency. Complete withdrawal from family, friends, and society as a whole can occur.

Disorders seen in Speech Therapy:

Speech-Language Disorders – Aphasia, Apraxia, or Dysarthria
Voice Disorders – Quality, pitch or resonance of the voice
Augmentative Communication Devices
Cognitive Disorders – Memory, problem solving, reading comprehension, safety awareness, or written expression