AG Therapy Services
Speech therapy for adults focuses on promoting communication independence by improving an individual’s comprehension, expressive language, articulation, reading and writing skills, as well as cognitive ability and swallowing difficulties. Though some speech and language difficulties may arise as a child, many adults experience communication breakdowns stemming from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and neurodegenerative disorders. I work with adults and their caregivers to decrease communication breakdowns and address challenges in swallowing and cognitive communication.
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Difficulty Speaking — difficulty with articulation, fluency, or voice production.
Aphasia —problems speaking, understanding, reading, writing, or using numbers due to stroke or brain injury.
Word Recall — challenges with word finding or name retrieval.
Apraxia — problems controlling mouth muscles to speak clearly following stroke, injury, and/or neurodegenerative disorder.
Comprehension —difficulty comprehending spoken language including difficulties with auditory processing or following instructions.
Reading and Writing — Exercise strategies to enhance literacy skills for those with difficulties with reading comprehension and written expression.
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Assess and treat problems with chewing or difficulty swallowing various food textures and liquids that can lead to:
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Frequent coughing or throat clearing with liquids and/or food
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Feeling like something is “stuck” in your throat
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Frequent pneumonia or respiratory infections
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Drooling or difficulty keeping food/liquids in mouth
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Decreased enjoyment or fear of eating/drinking
Treatment can include exercises to improve swallowing function and strengthening the muscles of the throat.
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Voice disorders— (changes in how a person’s voice sounds)
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Higher or lower pitch
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Amplitude– Too soft or too laud
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Hoarseness
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Unable to make sound
Dysarthria —Weakness or tightness in speech muscles that cause slurred or very quiet speech that may be hard to understand
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Attention and Focus — Offer strategies to improve concentration for those suffering attention and focus issues, especially in distracting environments.
Memory Problems — Provide techniques to enhance memory skills for those with difficulties recollecting personal information like birth dates, addresses, or phone numbers.
Organization, Task Completion, Problem Solving and Reasoning — Help planning and executive functions for those who struggle organizing and completing projects or tasks at home or work.