Speech Therapy
There are many reasons people need speech therapy, such
as traumatic brain injuries, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia,
Parkinson’s disease, and developmental delays, learning disabilities
and autism. Other causes can be genetic disorders, birth defects, and
face or head abnormalities that adversely effect speech.
People who need speech therapy include children with learning disabilities,
hearing impairment, difficulties in producing sounds, stammering, dyslexia,
voice disorders, cleft palettes and physical disabilities. Adults who
have had strokes, brain trauma, Huntington’s disease, cancer of
the head, neck or throat, hearing impairment, learning or physical disabilities
and even transsexual women are all candidates for speech therapy.
There are separate standardized speech therapy assessment tools administered
for infants, children, adolescents and adults. Assessments primarily
examine the form, content, understanding and use of language, as well
as articulation, and phonology. Oral motor and swallowing assessments
often require specialized training which includes the use of bedside
examination.