What is "Speech Therapy?"
(Hint: It’s not just about fixing R sounds like in elementary school)
The speech therapy I provide for individuals is all about promoting independence and safety. It focuses on improving communication, chewing and swallowing, memory care, and cognitive functions—all essential for daily life.
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Difficulty Speaking — difficulty with articulation, fluency, or voice production.
Aphasia —problems speaking, understanding, reading, writing, or using numbers due to stroke or brain injury.
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Word Recall — challenges with word finding or name retrieval.
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Apraxia — problems controlling mouth muscles to speak clearly following stroke, injury, and/or neurodegenerative disorder.
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Comprehension —difficulty comprehending spoken language including difficulties with auditory processing or following instructions.
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Reading and Writing — Exercise strategies to enhance literacy skills for those with difficulties with reading comprehension and written expression.
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Assess and treat problems with chewing or difficulty swallowing various food textures and liquids that can lead to:
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Frequent coughing or throat clearing with liquids and/or food
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Feeling like something is “stuck” in your throat
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Frequent pneumonia or respiratory infections
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Drooling or difficulty keeping food/liquids in mouth
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Decreased enjoyment or fear of eating/drinking
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Treatment can include exercises to improve swallowing function and strengthening the muscles of the throat.
3
​Voice disorders— (changes in how a person’s voice sounds)
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Higher or lower pitch
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Amplitude– Too soft or too laud
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Hoarseness
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Unable to make sound
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Dysarthria —Weakness or tightness in speech muscles that cause slurred or very quiet speech that may be hard to understand
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Attention and Focus — Offer strategies to improve concentration for those suffering attention and focus issues, especially in distracting environments.
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Memory Problems — Provide techniques to enhance memory skills for those with difficulties recollecting personal information like birth dates, addresses, or phone numbers.
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Organization, Task Completion, Problem Solving and Reasoning — Help planning and executive functions for those who struggle organizing and completing projects or tasks at home or work.