Speech Therapy
At McLaren, speech therapists assess and treat language and communication challenges and help with the development or recovery of good communication skills. Speech therapy also can help people with swallowing, eating and voice deficits by providing an in-depth assessment and recommendations for treatment. Our speech therapists assess and treat swallowing difficulties using advanced methods, including the use of a Modified Barium Swallow Study.
With the help of our expert speech-language pathology team, speech exercises can go a long way to retrain the muscles involved in speaking or swallowing. These exercises can help train the brain to understand words, numbers or gestures, as well as to improve concentration and information processing. Our speech therapists will provide a home program, when needed.
Why Speech Therapy?
Communication disorders occur when an individual is unable to easily and effectively convey a message or interact in conversation. Such problems, resulting from neurological conditions, developmental problems, trauma, or disease, seriously and negatively impact quality of life. Appropriate therapies for speech, language, and voice disorders for people of all ages, infant to adult, are derived through careful evaluation and consultation with patients, families, and caregivers.
Some of the Disorders our Therapists Treat:
- Aphasia
- Dysarthria
- Apraxia
- Swallowing Disorders
- Voice Disorders
- Cognition (including memory and attention)
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- Speech Impairments
- Stuttering
- Developmental/Childhood Language Disorders
- Social Skills
- Tracheostomy
- Laryngectomy
- Brain injury that has impaired speech function
- Neurological disorders such as early Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, severe migraine, and more
- Tourette's Syndrome
- Attention deficit disorder
- Autism
- Cleft palate
- Learning to speak through a stoma following laryngectomy (removal of the larynx)
Health conditions that may benefit from speech therapy:
- Progressive Neurological Disorders (Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease)
- Stroke (Cerebral Vascular Accident)
- Head Injury (Traumatic Brain Injury)
- Dementia
- Laryngectomies
- Tracheostomies
- Ear/Nose/Throat Cancers