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Speech Therapy Session

Speech Therapy

We offer individual speech therapy services to meet the needs of our clients in the areas of cognition, receptive & expressive language, motor speech disorders, and swallowing impairments.

Cognitive Therapy - An Impairment in Thinking

A cognitive impairment can be the result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, infection, brain tumor or degenerative disease such as, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia. We also can experience cognitive changes as we age naturally. There are 6 domains of cognition, all of which a Speech-Language pathologist is equipped to assess and treat.

  • Executive Functioning

    • Difficulty problem solving and decision-making

    • Trouble planning and organizing

    • Difficulty completing daily tasks including medication management, cooking, cleaning, etc.

  • Memory

    • Impairments in short and/or long term memory

    • Difficulty with working memory (remembering many things at one time)

    • Trouble with recalling personal or important information (Dates of appointments, information from their appointments)

  • Social Cognition

    • Difficulty understanding nonverbal cues in conversation

    • Remaining on topic and/or appropriately changing topic within conversation

  • Attention

    • Slow processing skills

    • Difficulty multitasking

    • Trouble remaining attentive to completed tasks completely or accurately.

  • Language

    • Difficulty using the correct word

    • Using the incorrect word

  • Visuospatial Skills

    • Visual neglect (Ex. Only reading one side of a newspaper)

Aphasia Therapy - An Impairment of Language

Life Speech Services provides treatment to improve and maintain language abilities to increase overall participation in everyday life through individualized treatment and specific strategies.

  • Speaking

    • Words get “Stuck on the tip of your tongue” frequently

    • You say the wrong word, either a related word, random word, or made up word (Ex. Spoon for Fork, or Foot for Fork, or Fot for Fork)

    • Have an easier time speaking in short sentences or phrases

  • Understanding:

    • Trouble following and engaging in conversations

    • Difficulty responding to simple or complex questions

    • Require extra time to respond to questions or in a conversation

  • Reading:

    • Trouble reading simple and/or complex words and sentences

    • Difficulty recognizing words by sight or sounding out words

  • Writing:

    • Difficulty formulating sentences or writing sentences with correct grammar

    • Frequently leaving out words while writing

SPEAK OUT! Ⓡ

Individuals with Parkinson’s are at a greater risk of developing a weaker voice that can lead to serious speech and swallowing issues as the disease progresses. SPEAK OUT! Ⓡ is a specialized program for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease that combines individual therapy, group therapy, and education to maximize speech abilities by focusing on speaking with intent. Our speech therapists are specifically trained to complete the SPEAK OUTⓇ therapy protocol.

Dysarthria Therapy - An Impairment of Speech Intelligibility

Dysarthria is often a side effect post-stroke, TBI, or neurological impairment. Life Speech Services focuses on using evidenced-based treatments to improve speech intelligibility and clarity for communication.

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  • Speech that is mumbled, slurred, or unintelligible

  • Slow rate of speech or speech that is too fast

  • Substituting, distorting, or deleting speech sounds within words

  • Speech sounds too soft, hoarse, or breathy

  • Difficulty moving tongue, lips, and jaw to make the sounds needed for clear speech

Dysphagia Therapy - An Impairment of Swallowing

Dysphagia, or impairments in swallowing, involve difficulties with chewing and/or swallowing foods and liquids. Dysphagia can be caused by strokes, TBI's, Parkinson's, MS, and ALS, but may also be a side effect of some medications, GERD, and weakness of the swallow muscles. Speech therapists have the knowledge, skills, and clinical experience to evaluate and manage dysphagia with specific exercises, strategies, and appropriate diet modifications.

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  • Food or liquid remaining in the mouth after the swallow

  • Increased drooling

  • Complaints of food “sticking in the throat”

  • Pain while swallowing

  • Wet or gurgle sounding voice after swallow

  • Coughing during or right after eating or drinking

  • Recurring pneumonia or respiratory infection

  • Extra time needed to chew or swallow

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