Speech and Language Pathologists provide services to prevent, diagnose, and treat communication disorders for children and adults. Speech therapy treats a broad range of disorders including fluency, stuttering, articulation, and voice cognitive problems such as memory loss and language disorders.
Speech therapists also perform swallow evaluations, often with special radiographic studies, to diagnose and treat swallow dysfunction.
There are several communication problems or disorders that can be treated through Summit Therapy’s Speech Therapy services that include:
- Language Disorders are the understanding and/or verbal expression of language. Problems can begin as children learn to communicate or following a stroke or head injury.
- Motor Speech Disorders can be evaluated by examining the function of the jaw, lips, and tongue for speaking functions in children and adults.
- Swallowing Disorders - People experiencing dysphagia (difficulty with swallowing), can be assessed and treated. Injury, disease, or the normal aging process may result in difficulty and decreased safety in swallowing certain foods and liquids.
- Voice Disorders are evaluated and treated for a variety of causes, such as vocal nodules or polyps, vocal abuse, or misuse.
- Fluency Disorders can be evaluated and treatment provided for adults and children to provide confidence in their ability to communicate with others.
- Impaired Cognitive Skill such as memory, organization, and problem solving skills, that have been impaired by injury, dementia, and developmental delays, can improve. Treatment focuses on training in the use of strategies to compensate for cognitive changes or re-training of the cognitive skills.
- Assistive and Alternative Communication helps individuals whose oral or written communication abilities do not meet their functional needs. Outpatient medical services can assist in obtaining the most appropriate assistive device and provide training in their use.
