Speech & Swallow Therapy
What does speech-language pathology means?
Speech-language pathology is concerned with a broad scope of speech, language, swallowing, and voice issues involved in communication, some of which include:
Word-finding and other semantic issues, either as a result of a specific language impairment (SLI) such as a language delay or as a secondary characteristic of a more general issue such as dementia.
Social communication difficulties involving how people communicate or interact with others (pragmatics).
Language impairments, including difficulties creating sentences that are grammatical (syntax) and modifying word meaning (morphology).
Literacy impairments (reading and writing) related to the letter-to-sound relationship (phonics), the word-to-meaning relationship (semantics), and understanding the ideas presented in a text (reading comprehension).
Voice difficulties, such as a raspy voice, a voice that is too soft, or other voice difficulties that negatively impact a person's social or professional performance.
Cognitive impairments (e.g., attention, memory, executive function) to the extent that they interfere with communication.
The components of speech production include:
Phonation (producing sound)
Resonance
Fluency
Intonation
Pitch variance
Voice (including aeromechanical components of respiration)
The components of language include:
Phonology (manipulating sound according to the rules of a language)
Morphology (understanding components of words and how they can modify meaning)
Syntax (constructing sentences according to the grammatical rules of a target language)
Semantics (interpreting signs or symbols of communication such as words or signs to construct speech meaning)
Pragmatics (social aspects of communication)
What is Speech language therapy…..
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide services to prevent and treat speech, language, social communication and cognitive-communication in children and adults. Speech services begin with initial screening for communication and swallowing confusions and continue with assessment and diagnosis, consultation for the provision of advice regarding management, intervention, and treatment, and providing counseling and other follow up services for these confusions.
Services are provided in the following areas:
Cognitive aspects of communication (e.g., attention, memory, problem-solving, executive functions)
Speech (phonation, articulation, fluency, resonance, and voice including aeromechanical components of respiration)
Language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatic/social aspects of communication) including comprehension and expression in oral, written, graphic, and manual modalities; language processing; pre literacy and language-based literacy skills, phonological awareness
Augmentative and alternative communication, for individuals with severe language and communication impairments
Swallowing or other upper aerodigestive functions such as infant feeding and aeromechanical events (evaluation of esophageal function is for the purpose of referral to medical professionals)
Voice (hoarseness (dysphonia), poor vocal volume (hypophonia), abnormal (e.g. rough, breathy, strained) vocal quality. Research demonstrates voice therapy to be especially helpful with certain patient populations; individuals with Parkinson's Disease often develop voice issues as a result of their disease
Sensory awareness related to communication, swallowing, or other upper aerodigestive functions
Who requires speech-language therapy?
Puberphonia
Cerebral Palsy
Hearing loss and impairments
Learning difficulties including Dyslexia
Specific language impairment (SLI)
Auditory processing confusion
Speech confusions (such as cluttering)
Stammering, stuttering (disfluency)
Language delay
Motor speech confusions (dysarthria or Developmental verbal dyspraxia)
Cognitive communication confusions
Laryngectomies
Adults with mild, moderate, or severe eating, feeding and swallowing difficulties, including dysphagia
Adults with mild, moderate, or severe language difficulties as a result of
Motor neuron diseases
Alzheimer's disease
Dementia (memory problems)
Huntington's disease
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
Post surgical conditions in progressive neurological conditions such as cancer of the head, neck and throat
Aphasic (language confusions after stroke, cva or brain injury)
