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COMMUNICATION
10
q
life and health
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call
860.364.4065
.
SPEECH
lan-
guage pathologists
are the profession-
als who identify,
assess and treat
speech and lan-
guage problems,
including swallow-
ing disorders.
Speech disorders
are an impairment
of articulation of speech sounds, flu-
ency (stuttering) or voice.
Language disorders are the im-
pairment of the comprehension and/
or use of spoken or written language
necessary for expressing and under-
standing thoughts and ideas.
Causes of speech and language
disorders may be related to hearing
loss, stroke or head injury, Parkin-
son’s disease, or developmental or
acquired cognitive disabilities.
For children, this disorder occurs
in the context of a language system
that is not fully developed. This
can include slow development of
vocabulary, concepts, speech sound
production and grammar, which
can affect a child’s ability to learn,
S P E E C H L A N G U A G E P A T H O L O G Y
Helping the basics happen
socialize and be successful in school.
For adults, acquired language dis-
orders can interfere with social, oc-
cupational and daily living activities.
A swallowing disorder, also called
dysphagia, can be due to many factors,
including stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s
disease, brain injury, head and neck
cancers, or cervical spine surgery.
Some signs may include:
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Coughing during or right after
eating or
drinking.
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Extra
effort
or time
needed
to chew
or swallow.
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Food or liquid getting stuck in the
mouth or leaking from the mouth.
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Recurrent pneumonia or chest
congestion after eating.
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Weight loss or dehydration from
not being able to eat enough.
A speech language pathologist can
complete an evaluation for speech,
language or swallowing and recom-
mend specific speech therapy treat-
ment, such as:
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Activities to stimulate language.
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Training to produce specific speech
sounds or improve voice production.
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Exercises to improve muscle move-
ment for swallowing.
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Patient or family training to
compensate for memory loss or help
with communication.
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Training in the use of speech-
generating devices for people who
cannot speak.
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Strategies to help
the patient swallow
more effectively.
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Specific food or liq-
uid textures that are
easier and/or safer to
swallow.
If you or someone you know is
having a speech, language or swal-
lowing problem, ask your healthcare
provider about having an evaluation
by a speech language pathologist.
Advanced Therapy at Sharon
Hospital has a speech pathologist
available five days a week for evalu-
ations and treatment of speech, lan-
guage or swallowing disorders. Please
call
860.364.4065
for more informa-
tion or to schedule an appointment.
Melissa Braislin,
MS, CCC-SLP
Advanced Therapy at Sharon Hospital
creates an individualized therapy plan.
Call
860.364.4065
for more information
or to make an appointment.