By Rebecca Weber, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS
What do you think of when you hear of the career title Speech Language Pathologist (i.e. Speech Therapist)?
When people think of speech therapists, they often picture someone working with kids for articulation therapy or speech delays. Adult speech therapy covers a lot more, especially for those dealing with stroke, brain injury, or cognitive-communication issues.
At Navigating Neuro Speech Therapy (NNST), I focus on helping adults with cognitive, speech, and language difficulties. Here’s a quick guide to see if you might benefit from my services.
1. Cognitive Challenges: Cognition can be defined as a conscious mental activity such as thinking, remembering, learning, or using language. It can impact executive function skills (planning and organizing), memory, attention, and language. You might benefit from cognitive evaluation and therapy if you feel more confused, mentally exhausted, or have difficulty keeping track of tasks.
2. Language Difficulties: Language is the foundation of communication. Language difficulties affect how we speak, listen, read, and write. When one or all of these areas are impacted, it can be very challenging and frustrating to communicate with those we love. If you are having difficulty communicating, you may have aphasia. A stroke or traumatic brain injury most often causes aphasia. It may also occur following a progressive neurological brain diagnosis such as dementia or primary progressive aphasia.
When thinking about a language disorder, some questions one can ask to determine if they may benefit from the intervention of a speech-language pathologist include:
Are you having difficulty finding words? Saying the wrong word? Mixing up sounds in words?
Expressing your thoughts or following directions? Finding it difficult to participate in conversations due to reduced understanding?
Has it been difficult for you to enjoy reading when it once was a pleasurable hobby of yours? Are you having difficulty understanding numbers or symbols, like reading a clock?
Are you having difficulty putting your thoughts into words on paper? Increased errors with spelling, writing emails, and text messaging?
3. Speech Issues: Speech refers to how we say sounds and words. This includes articulation (how we make speech sounds with our mouth, lips, and tongue), voice (how we use our vocal folds and breath to make sounds), and fluency (the rhythm of our speech).
When thinking about speech, some questions one can ask to determine if they may benefit from the intervention of a speech-language pathologist include:
Is it difficult for others to understand your speech due to slurred or mumbled words?
Are you having trouble imitating and saying sounds on your own?
Are sounds being added, left out, or said the wrong way?
Why See a Speech-Language Pathologist?
- Evaluation: We assess your challenges and create a personalized treatment plan.
- Education: Learn about your condition and what to expect.
- Stress Reduction: Get techniques to manage cognitive and communication challenges.
- Evidence-Based Treatments: Use proven methods to improve your outcomes.
- Daily Living Adjustments: Receive recommendations to make daily life easier.
If you or a loved one are dealing with cognitive or speech issues from a stroke, brain injury, or neurodegenerative condition, contact me at NNST. I work collaboratively with you and your family to help navigate your path of recovery, identify your strengths, and compensate for your weaknesses. It is important to us to keep your interests and hobbies going while developing new ones to maintain a good quality of life.
Why wait!? Support is right here. Contact us today!