Speech Language Pathology - Adult

This service helps adults who have a speech, language, voice, or swallowing disorders.

Speech-language pathology is for adults with a physical, emotional, neurological, or developmental problem that makes it harder for them to communicate and/or affects how well they swallow. Speech-language pathology can help people with the issues listed below:

• stroke/head injury
• dementia
• neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease
• developmental delays
• other neurological / degenerative diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• people who use their voice professionally (like teachers and lawyers)

The speech-language pathologist assesses the person to learn if they will benefit from treatment.

Treatment may include learning to:

• make sounds correctly / reduce stuttering
• understand and speak language more completely
• use the voice in a healthier way
• learn another way to communicate (through a communication board or other device)
• learn ways to make swallowing easier to prevent food from entering the airway or choking
• read or write after changes to the brain

The service also teaches learning strategies to help improve:

• thinking skills around communication (like memory, problem solving, and verbal reasoning)
• word finding