Independent Living Inc. Pediatric Therapy’s speech-language therapy services assist in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and/or cognitive difficulties relating to verbal and non-verbal communication. Speech-language therapy also addresses feeding and swallowing difficulties, stuttering, voice disorders and augmentative communication.
Speech-language pathologists work with people who cannot produce speech sounds or cannot produce them clearly; those with speech rhythm and fluency problems, such as stuttering; people with voice disorders, such as inappropriate pitch or harsh voice; those with problems understanding and producing language; those who wish to improve their communication skills by modifying an accent; and those with cognitive communication impairments, such as attention, memory, and problem solving disorders. They also work with people who have swallowing difficulties.
Where do speech difficulties come from?
Speech, language, and swallowing difficulties can result from a variety of causes including stroke, brain injury or deterioration, developmental delays or disorders, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, voice pathology, mental retardation, hearing loss, or emotional problems. Problems can be congenital, developmental, or acquired. Speech-language pathologists use special instruments and qualitative and quantitative assessment methods, including standardized tests, to analyze and diagnose the nature and extent of impairments.
How are speech issues treated?
Speech-language pathologists develop an individualized plan of care, tailored to each patient’s needs. For individuals with little or no speech capability, speech-language pathologists may select augmentative or alternative communication methods, including automated devices and sign language, and teach their use. They teach patients how to make sounds, improve their voices, or increase their oral or written language skills to communicate more effectively. They also teach individuals how to strengthen muscles or use compensatory strategies to swallow without choking or inhaling food or liquid. Speech-language pathologists help patients develop, or recover, reliable communication and swallowing skills so patients can fulfill their educational, vocational, and social roles.
Other speech-language therapy services include:
- Profacial Myology
- Beckman’s Oral Motor
- Brian Gym®
- Cued Speech
- DIR®/Floortime™
- Electrical Stimulation Therapy (ESTIM)
- Feeding and Swallowing Therapy
- Interactive Metronome®
- It Takes Two To Talk®-The Hanen Program®
- Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing®(LiPS®)
- Nancibell® Seeing Stars® (SI™)
- Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT)
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- PROMPT
- Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson’s Horns
- Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson’s Straws
- SCERTS®
- Sensory Integration
- The Alert Program®
- Therapeutic Listening™
- VitalStim®
- Whistle