Speech Therapy

Adult and child facing each other with open mouths, appearing to practice speech in a bright room

What is Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy involves a Speech-Language Pathologist’s (SLP) assessment of speech, language, cognitive-communication, and oral/feeding/swallowing skills to identify types of communication problems (articulation; fluency; voice; receptive and expressive language disorders, etc.) and the best way to treat them.

Speech Therapy for Kids

Kids might need speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:

  • hearing impairments
  • cognitive (intellectual, thinking) or other developmental delays
  • weak oral muscles
  • chronic hoarseness
  • birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate
  • autism
  • motor planning problems
  • articulation problems
  • fluency disorders
  • respiratory problems (breathing disorders)
  • feeding and swallowing disorders
  • traumatic brain injury



  • Adult and toddler sitting on blue mat during a play or therapy session indoors

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  • Caregiver feeding a baby in a high chair with a spoon, wearing purple gloves

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  • Caregiver in blue gloves examines a baby in a high chair with a penlight

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  • Nurse examining a baby in a high chair, wearing purple gloves and adjusting the infant’s mouth.

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  • Adult and child playing with toy train on a blue carpet in a small room

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  • Woman and child seated at a small table in a playroom, talking over a toy tea set.

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  • Children playing a color-matching game at a green table with blocks and a timer

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  • Child in purple glasses being examined with a tongue depressor by an adult in a clinical setting

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  • Child blowing bubbles while a woman smiles and reaches out in a bright room.

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  • Child smiling at their reflection in a mirror, wearing a striped shirt indoors.

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  • Child eating with a spoon at a tray table, wearing a yellow and gray sweater, with a small cup of food nearby

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Pediatric and School-based Services:

(Treatment is needed for one or more of the following disorders.)

 

  • Articulation disorders: difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners can’t understand what’s being said.
  • Fluency disorders: problems such as stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, partial-word repetitions (“b-b-boy”), or prolonging sounds and syllables (sssssnake).
  • Resonance or voice disorders: problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what’s being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for a child when speaking.
  • Receptive language disorders: difficulties understanding or processing language.
  • Expressive language disorders: difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.
  • Cognitive-communication disorders: difficulty with communication skills that involve memory, attention, perception, organization, regulation, and problem solving.
  • Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders: disorders in the way someone eats or drinks, including problems with chewing, swallowing, coughing, gagging, and refusing foods.

Speech Therapy for Adults

Adults may experience speech and language difficulties for a variety of reasons. Conditions that may cause them is include:

 

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  • Dementia
  • Huntington’s Disease
  • Laryngeal Cancer
  • Oral Cancer
  • Right Hemisphere Brain Injury
  • Stroke
  • Traumatic Brain Injury 


Adult and Geriatric Services:

 

  • Speech treatment to improve oral motor muscle strength, coordination, and speed
  • Language treatment to improve receptive and expressive communication following neurological impairments
  • Dysphagia treatment to improve swallowing sequence and coordination to safely consume a regular diet
  • Voice treatment to improve breath support for speech production, pitch, volume, and overall quality of voice
  • Communication treatment to improve individuals’ ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally through communication aids/devicesNew Paragraph
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  • Woman in yellow shirt tasting food from a spoon indoors

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