Speech Therapy

Our speech language pathologist covers more territory than the name suggests.

For adults, the largest share of the work follows a stroke or a head injury: finding words again, following a conversation, keeping track of a medication schedule. We also work with people whose speech and swallowing are changing because of Parkinson disease or dementia, and with voice problems that have lasted more than a few weeks.

Swallowing deserves its own paragraph. When swallowing weakens, food and liquid go down the wrong way, often without any coughing to warn anyone. That is a leading cause of pneumonia in older adults, and it lands people in the hospital repeatedly before anyone identifies it. It is also treatable. If a family member has started coughing at meals, sounding wet after drinking, or quietly avoiding certain foods, ask for an evaluation.

For children we assess and treat unclear speech, late language, stuttering, and feeding difficulties. We coordinate directly with the school district so a family is not managing two separate plans that contradict each other.