What is Speech-Language Therapy

A speech-language therapist specializes in the evaluation of patients with speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive impairments.

Speech therapy can be used to correct andmanage deficits following:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease, such as:
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  • Cerebral Palsy (CP)
  • Huntington’s Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
  • Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
  • Parkinson’s Disease
• Diagnosis or treatment of head/neck cancer
• Development of vocal fold nodules/polyps
• Any change in speech, voice, communication, swallowing, or thinking skills

Conditions Treated

A speech therapist works with patients who may present or be diagnosed with the following conditions:

Aphasia – reduced language abilities such as difficulty understanding what others say or difficulty expressing oneself using correct grammar and appropriate vocabulary.

Apraxia – difficulty planning and coordinating muscular movements of the lips, tongue, and mouth to form intelligible speech.

Dysarthria – reduced strength and range of motion of muscles of the speech mechanism resulting in impaired sound pronunciation, reduced loudness, or change in vocal quality.

Dysphagia – difficulty with any level of swallowing, including chewing and managing food in the mouth and safely passing food through the throat into the stomach.

Cognitive-Communication Impairments – problems thinking due to difficulty paying attention, remembering information, organizing thoughts, or solving problems.

Voice Disorders – ineffective use of voice through inappropriate pitch, loudness, nasality, or vocal quality or inability to produce voice secondary to tracheostomy placement.

Fluency Disorders – difficulty with fluency of expression (stuttering).

Evaluation and Treatment

A thorough evaluation will involve a comprehensive interview with patient and  family. Depending on patient complaints, language, communication, and/or cognitive testing will be administered. Swallowing evaluations may be performed as well.

An individualized treatment plan will be developed for each patient and may include:

• Language therapy
  • Utilizing current technological activities such as iPads with apps and alternative communication devices
  • Learning strategies to understand conversation and express oneself
• Cognitive therapy
  • Utilizing current technological activities such as iPads with apps and alternative communication devices
  • Learning strategies to complete functional, real-life tasks
• Vocal exercises
• Swallowing exercises

To schedule an appointment, ask your healthcare provider for a referral or call:

Wellsboro: 570-723-0120
Williamsport: 570-321-2605