Speech Therapy For Children
A speech-language pathologists approach will depend on the child. When working with a child who has a feeding or swallowing disorder, they might focus on:
- Strengthening the muscles of the mouth
- Helping the child with chewing
- Encouraging the child to try new food and drink
- Changing food texture to make it easier to swallow food
- Helping with sensory issues related to food
Other skills a speech-language pathologist may work on with a child include:
- Language complexity: For example, they might teach words like “and” and “or” to connect ideas within sentences.
- Conversation skills: This may include role-playing to help the child with socialization and improve their read of social cues.
- Vocabulary: They may use games or storytelling to help build the childs vocabulary.
- Phonological awareness: This recognition of the sounds that make up words is an important skill for reading. The SLP may work on helping the child identify sounds and rhymes in words to build this skill.
Healthcare professionals will also test your childs hearing to see if hearing loss may be contributing to language and speech issues.
How Can Speech Therapy For Epilepsy Help
Your speech therapist can work with you to reduce the impacts of aphasia and stuttering.
For children with epilepsy, its important to start language interventions as soon as your child is diagnosed with epilepsy.
Even if your child is very young, early intervention speech therapy can reduce the impact of speech on your childs academic abilities and communication skills.
If your child experiences auditory agnosia, their speech therapist may introduce sign language or other AAC options to help them be able to communicate.
How Long Will It Take Before I See Results
Adult speech therapy is a journey, not a quick fix. You will start with one skill at a time, and work in small, manageable steps. Sometimes people take several months or even a year to fully recover from speech issues due to an illness or injury, and thats ok! We just want to help you get you back to the place you were before the problem started. And remember, you have your whole life ahead of you and we want you to succeed! Every person is different. The #1 success factor we see in our clients is determination. It is important that you never give up on your goals!
Don’t Miss: Uchealth Physical Therapy And Rehabilitation Clinic
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment For Parkinsons Disease And Speak Out
Our voice therapy programs are designed to improve your voices strength, clarity, and loudness. Parkinsons disease is one of the aggressive conditions that can lead to complete loss of speech. As such, we recommend early intervention. All our SPLs are certified in the SPEAK OUT and Lee Silverman Voice Treatment programs.
LSVT Loud is one of the effective voice treatment programs for people suffering from Parkinsons disease and other neurological disorders. The program usually focuses on vocal loudness through stimulation of speech mechanism and larynx using various exercises. It is focused on helping the individual to speak aloud. The exercises involved in the program helps in improving respiratory and articulation function, allowing the person to speak more coherently.
The SPEAK OUT program focuses on the intent concept. The program helps strengthen the speaking muscles and trains the patients on how to move the muscle that forms sound. Our SPLs at the So-Cal therapy center will work with the patient through a series of speech, cognitive and voice exercises outlined in the Speak out Workbook.
Online Speech Therapy For Adults
Online speech therapy is a convenient and effective intervention model that can help improve adults communication skills. At Great Speech, our certified speech therapists are trained to help you or your loved overcome speech and language obstacles and gain confidence. Our innovative online model of intervention provides a proven alternative to traditional speech & language therapy for adults.
Read Also: Back To Life Physical Therapy
What Aptus Speech Therapy Apps Are Available For Free Download
We currently have 4 speech therapy apps for free download: Inference Pics Lite, Empathy Pics Liteare free autism apps for iPad/iPhone. Comprehension Toolboxis a free aphasia app on iPhone/iPad. Keywords Understanding Lite is suitable for adults with aphasia and children with autism or delayed language.
Recommended Reading: Worksheets For Parts Of Speech
Why Might An Adult Need Speech Therapy
Its true that many speech problems begin in childhood, but there is a plethora of other reasons why someone might be struggling with their speech as an adult. From an array of circumstances, here are a few reasons why an adult might need speech therapy:
- Laryngeal cancer
- Accent modification
These are just some causes of speech disorders that might occur later in life. Still, speech impediments that were never dealt with in childhood might continue to cause issues in adulthood and might lead an adult to seek speech therapy.
You May Like: What Does Behavioral Therapy Do
What Is Speech Therapy For Adults
Speech therapy for adults involves assessing and treating swallowing issues, communication, cognition , language and speech disorders.
It is provided by speech-language pathologists , also called speech therapists. These specialists have extensive education and training that qualify them to deliver speech therapy services. All Amedisys speech therapists are certified through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
With home health care speech therapy, a speech therapist comes to your home. This can be your private residence, a family members home, a group home or a senior living community. Our speech therapists can help you recover after an accident or surgery, or manage an acute or chronic illness. Youll also learn healthy lifestyle tips and exercises you can do on your own to think, communicate, and eat or drink more effectively.
Is home health care right for your loved one?
Common Signs That An Adult Might Need Speech Therapy
It is a quite embarrassing situation when an adult is facing difficulty while speaking to someone else whether it be office or home. Below are given some of the symptoms related to a specific speech or language disorder
1. Expressive Language Disorder
Expressive language disorders are diagnosed when a person has difficulty in speaking grammatically correct sentences or problem in producing languages or translating thoughts into speech.
You often find people struggling with Language processing challenges at home as well as at their workplace.
Signs of Expressive language disorder at home
- Usually, forget words or speak them out of order,
- Use substitutes instead of the same words when those substitutes dont mean the same exact thing such as saying beef in place of chicken or couch in place of chair.
- Frequently make use of made-up words when adults are not able to produce the correct word.
- Difficulty in finding the exact words so use substitutes like things or stuff.
Signs of Expressive language disorder at work
- Keep on struggling to patch up with other office colleagues or face challenges in keeping with office small talk.
- Difficulty in mastering the vocabulary of the workplace, also keep on saying the incorrect words in an office meeting.
- Face challenges in taking face to face with supervisors.
- Often face rejection at an interview.
- Feel anxious when it comes to giving a presentation or lectures.
2. Receptive Language Disorders
Signs at work
Recommended Reading: Trauma-informed Care Occupational Therapy Training
Best For Elementary: Speech Tutor
Apple
-
Not all features are available for initial price
-
Could be frustrating to use if you arent a speech pathologist
Speech Tutor from Synapse Apps uses 2-D animated movies that allow you to see a side view and front view inside the head. These views allow you to see each sound production without the tongue getting in the way. In other words, you can actually see inside the mouth to watch sounds being made. This helps you understand exactly how to place your tongue or move your throat to make a specific soundsomething you cant do on your own.
With lots of animations available, this comprehensive app gives will prompt you to select a sound, watch how it is made, and then practice making the sound. It also comes with tips from licensed speech and language pathologists .
Additionally, you can play the movies at three speeds: slow, medium, and fast. Plus, as you practice target sounds, the app will record you, then play it before and after a correctly modeled production.
Speech Tutor app costs $24.99, and it is available for iOS. It does require iOS 12.0 or later. If youre looking for something more advanced or youre a speech therapist, consider upgrading to the Speech Tutor Pro. This extensive app costs $59.99, but you also get two screens, an SLP-friendly screen, and a parent-friendly screen.
How Should I Use The List
Heres what to do next:
Open the list on the mobile device that youll be using for therapy.
Go straight down the Free/Lite column and click the links to that sparks your interest.
Set aside some time to explore the apps to see if they meet your needs. Keep in mind that many free apps still have in-app purchases or subscriptions. Delete the ones you dont like or want to upgrade.
Look carefully at the apps that are paid, and purchase the ones you want. Spending a few dollars, or even a few hundred dollars, on apps can make your life so much easier than just using the free ones.
Invest in the tools you need, because as with most things in life, quality and convenience are worth paying for.
Don’t Miss: How Much Does Physical Therapy Assistant Make
Finding The Right Speech Therapist
Our speech therapy team consists of experts in the field and we are proud to know that each one of them have a personal interest in learning how to help adults. As a leading speech therapy organization, we understand the need for finding the right speech therapist for our clients and we do our best to assist you in finding the perfect fit for your individual speech needs.
The right speech therapist with a passion for helping adults has your best interests at heart and a wealth of experience in the field. This is why our speech therapy team has a completely dedicated team of consultants that are committed to achieving the best results possible for you. A qualified and experienced speech therapist will be able to assist you in finding the right speech strategy to help you get real results.
How To Improve Your Speech
Book a Free Consultation
We’ll Match You With the Ideal Therapist
Improve Speech
No Waitlists – Start This Week
Live Weekly Zoom Seesions
OUR TEAM
150+ Licensed and Experienced Therapists
Our speech therapists are all licensed and certified, with ~10 years of experience. We cover every state in the USA. We offer speech therapy services forchildren and adults.
WHAT IT IS
Read Also: Couples Therapy For Boyfriend And Girlfriend
Watch Out For Frustration
If you find yourself getting angry or frustrated while youre practicing, stop. Take a break. Breathe deeply and calm down. Practice is supposed to help you get better. If the speech therapy exercises leave you feeling frustrated, theyre probably too hard or youre too tired. Ask for help. Or pick an easier activity or setting. If you start to associate homework with negative emotions, you probably wont stick to your schedule. You need to watch out for negative feelings, and change what youre doing the instant you feel them.
Speech Therapy Apps Are Always Changing
The prices and availability can change at any time, so please double-check on your devices App Store or Google Play Store. Some apps may be slightly different on Android and Apple devices, or even created by different developers. Developers can update their apps with new features at any point, either adding or removing functionality, so watch for updates that may affect therapeutic use.
Prices are listed in US dollars. If you are outside the US, check the price on your device for your local currency. The prices are not straight-up currency conversions they are set in tiers. Many prices outside the US include sales tax , so they may appear higher than they are.
Titles and icons can also change, so weve included links to take you straight to the App Store or Google Play Store. Thats why its best that you share this list electronically instead of printing it. Also, if you notice an app that is no longer available, isnt as advertised, or a great app is missing, please let us know!
You May Like: Low Light Laser Therapy Hair
Who Uses Speech Therapy Apps
Some speech and language disorders are linked to medical conditions, such as stroke or brain injury, while others have developmental delays or congenital anomalies at their roots.
There are many common reasons that an individual may pursue speech therapy or use a speech therapy app. They often play a key role in rehabilitation from injury or to improve speech difficulties caused by:
- Damage to articulatory muscles or speech organs
- Respiratory weaknesses
Speech-language pathologists and therapists are professionals who specialize in working with patients to diagnose, evaluate, and treat communicative difficulties for a better quality of life.
Given the great range of different challenges they are trained to deal with, they often use a wide array of interventions in their treatment plans.
Also Check: Ap English Language And Composition Practice Multiple Choice
When In Doubt Find An Slp
If you find yourself wondering if you should contact a speech-language pathologist, then you probably should. Their speech therapy techniques are sure to help. The wait-and-see approach can just put your child behind his peers.
If you still arent sure, download Speech Blubs and fill out our evaluative screener. It was made with the help of speech therapists and gives a pretty good idea about your childs speech status. While its no substitute for pediatric speech therapy, our app can get you started and gives plenty of focused speech practice. So start now!
Read Also: Idaho Spine And Sports Physical Therapy
What To Do If You Cant Talk At All
Patients that cant talk afterstroke likely sustained major damage to the language center of the brain.Recovery will take more time and effort, but its often possible.
Mute patients wont be able to practice most speech therapy exercises,but they can take a step back and try a different type of speech therapy: singing therapy.
Surprisingly, even if someone cant talk, they can usually sing their words. This is because speech is a left-brain function but singing is a right-brain function.
A unique approach called singing therapy helpspatients capitalize on this opportunity for recovery.
Many people who had difficulty learning to speak againafter brain injury or stroke often have great success with singingtherapy.
Speech Therapy For People With Epilepsy
If you or your child have epilepsy, you probably know that it can affect the development of speech or your ability to speak.
Epilepsy isnt uncommon, either.
The World Health Organization estimates that epilepsy affects 50 million people globally.
It affects both children and adults, which is why both speech therapy for kids and speech therapy for adults near me can treat it.
Read on to learn more about epilepsy and how a Washington DC speech therapist can help you or your child.
Don’t Miss: Difference Between Physical Therapy And Occupational Therapy
Tired Of Stuttering Mispronouncing Words Or Struggling With Communication
Our team of certified speech therapists can help improve your communication skills so you feel more confident in social situations and at work.
Meet with a qualified speech therapist online, from the comfort of your home or office. Well assess your needs and customize a plan to help you get the best results as efficiently as possible.
Ways To Make Speech Therapy Homework Work For You
6 min read
There are many benefits of doing speech therapy exercises at home. More practice usually means faster improvement1, and therapy with software2 at home or with a volunteer3 has been shown to be effective.
But do you or a loved one find yourself going home from the speech therapists office with the best of intentions only to lose enthusiasm after a day or two? Dont get discouraged! This may be the first time youve had to do homework in years and you may need to establish good homework habits to set yourself up for success. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Read Also: What Is Monoclonal Antibody Therapy
Best For Toddlers: Splingo
-
Not very customizable
-
Some users complain of frequent issues with sound
The Splingo app from the Speech and Language Store offers children a way to learn listening and language skills by playing a fun, interactive game with aliens and spaceships. The app was designed by speech and language therapists to focus on nouns, verbs, prepositions, and adjectives. It comes with a range of age possibilities, including early language development to a much more complex level of combining several aspects of language at once.
In order to customize the app to each level, Splingo breaks the content down further into four groups.
- Level 1: Uses one main word. Appropriate for 18 months and older.
- Level 2: Uses two main words for kids with a developmental level of 2 to 3 years old.
- Level 3: Uses three main words for kids with a developmental level of 3 to 4 years old.
- Level 4: Uses four main words for kids with a developmental level of 4 years old and older.
The Splingo app cost is free but has add-ons you can purchase. It is available for iOS.
You May Like: Best Language For App Development
What Are Some Speech Therapy Techniques I Can Try At Home
Kids and adults alike can practice speech therapy techniques at home. Your healthcare provider can recommend exercises for your specific condition. Some general techniques for children and adults include:
Speech therapy techniques for children
Activities to try with your child at home:
Speech therapy techniques for adults
Adults with speech disorders can also benefit from at-home exercises. You can try:
- Tongue exercises. Stick your tongue out, hold for two seconds, then bring it back in. Repeat this process several times. You can also try this same exercise, but move your tongue to each corner of your mouth for two seconds. Finally, move your tongue up and down in the same fashion. These exercises help train your tongue to move in coordinated patterns.
- Smiling. Simply smiling in front of a mirror can help improve motor skills. Smile. Relax. Smile again. Repeat this process several times.
- Puckering your lips. Try puckering your lips, then relaxing. Repeat this several times. This can help you control the movement of your mouth.
- Reading out loud. If your speech disorder prevents you from moving your mouth and tongue properly, reading out loud can be excellent practice. Start out with a few small sentences and work your way up from there.
- Playing word games. Studies have shown that memory games, word searches and crossword puzzles can help maintain cognitive function and improve thinking skills.
Recommended Reading: S Tongue Twisters Speech Therapy