Speech Therapy

Speech therapy as an adult may be beneficial if you have/had:

• Head and neck cancer
• Mental retardation
• Neurological diseases (cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, etc.)
• Swallowing disorder
• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Weakness or infection

Speech therapy can be beneficial to your child if diagnosed with:

• Apraxia
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Cerebral palsy
• Cleft palate
• Developmental delays or disability
• Down Syndrome
• Hearing loss
• Speech delay

MercyOne’s speech therapists take time to understand your challenges and focus on creating a personalized plan for you. Speech therapy services include the treatment of:

• Aphasia - Difficulty understanding language or expressing oneself, including decreased reading and writing skills (usually caused by trauma to the brain).
• Apraxia - Difficulty coordinating the movements necessary for speech production.
• Articulation and phonological disorders - Difficulty making speech sounds, language and literacy troubles.
• Cognitive impairments - Difficulty with sequencing, problem-solving, insight, reasoning and memory.
• Dysarthria - Slurred or tight-sounding speech.
• Dysphagia - Difficulty chewing or swallowing food and/or liquids.
• Fluency disorders - Difficulty expressing oneself easily and accurately.
• Voice disorders - Difficulty with pitch, volume, tone and other voice qualities.

The first step in speech therapy is an initial evaluation. A MercyOne speech therapist will visit with you to:

• understand your concerns.
• obtain background information and medical history.
• Formalized testing may be completed.
• provide ideas/suggestions regarding speech therapy activities to do at home.
• Answer any questions you may have.
• schedule speech therapy and discuss goals if they are deemed appropriate for you.

If swallowing is a concern, a video swallow study may be recommended.