Common deficits are in the areas of apraxia, aphasia, articulation, augmentative communication, dysarthria, expressive language disorders, receptive language disorders, oral motor disorders, voice disorders, fluency, swallowing, and pragmatic disorders.
Common diagnoses treated include: developmental delay, speech/language delay, stroke, Parkinson’s, MS, dementia, autism, cerebral palsy, cancer, ALS, TBI, and more.
Patients must be referred by their physician for therapy services. A standardized evaluation will be completed along with informal assessment and patient/parent report. Based on the findings of the assessment and information gathered, treatment may be recommended if it is found to be medically necessary. Treatment frequency and duration will be determined by the individual needs of the patient.
For all patients regardless of age and deficit, we work with you and your family to determine your goals and to help you make functional improvements to enhance your quality of life.
Adults
- Communication: Both expressive and receptive language skills can be treated with focus on the patient being able to meet all their wants and needs.
- Cognitive deficits: Common issues which can be addressed are memory, attention, and problem solving. Compensatory strategies are introduced to help the patient completed activities in their daily life.
- Voice disorders: Hoarseness and breathiness are two common characteristics which may arise from a neurological disorder or from how the patient miss uses their voice. Treatment focuses on how a patient uses their voice and strategies to improve their quality of voice in their everyday life.
- Dysphagia: Clinical swallow evaluation or modified barium swallow studies are available to assess a patient’s swallow. Diet modification will be recommended as appropriate as well as oral motor exercises to improve the strength of the swallow mechanism.
Children
- Speech: A delay in development of speech or poor intelligibility due to errors in pronouncing words. Treatment will focus on age appropriate goals to make improvements.
- Language: Ability to use speech such as increasing sentence length or plural /s/ as well as the ability to understand speech such as basic concepts on/off/under/over.
- Behaviors/Social Skills: Inappropriate behaviors for a patient’s age can be addressed as well as social skills. Behavior charts and visual schedules may be developed to assist in treatment.
- Myofunctional deficit: Tongue thrust evaluation and treatments are available. Tongue thrust is a forward tongue placement during swallowing pattern and can also occur in speech. This habit forces constant pressure behind the front teeth which will cause misalignment. Therapy focus is on correcting habit and learning the correct swallow pattern.
Contact St. Anthony Speech Therapy at (712) 794-5428