ALLIED HEALTH
Speech
Therapy
Speech Pathologists work with so much more than just the way sounds are made and produced. They assess, diagnose and provide treatment plans to overcome difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, and stuttering.
We work with people who have difficulty communicating because of developmental delays, stroke, brain injuries, learning disability, intellectual disability, dementia, and hearing loss, as well as lots of other reasons speech and language may be impacted. People who experience difficulties swallowing food and drinks safely can also be helped by working with a speech pathologist.
Speech Therapy can provide assessment and treatment to any of these communication concerns:
Speech Clarity – making sounds correctly and being able to maintain this in a conversation
Pronunciation – correctly saying words
Receptive language – is basically comprehension. It relates to the ability to understand both spoken and written language
Literacy – relates to reading, writing and spelling, which is all linked to our basic understanding of grammar and language. How we put our words together to form sentences, ask questions, and give or receive information both written and when spoken. Literacy is ensuring sentences are grammatically correct and well structured
Stuttering – looks at the fluency of our speech patterns. Is our speech smooth, does it flow well or are there lots of repetitions of sounds? Stuttering can involve not being able to get the words out or to get stuck on a sound
Fluency – speaking or writing in a clear, concise and fluent manner
Articulation – clearness of speech. Making sure that writing and talking can easily be understood by others
Expressive language – refers to the words we say and how we say them, either verbally or in writing. It’s the way we express our needs and wants, and the way we communicate with others
Social skills – is all to do with how we communicate in a socially acceptable manner. How we relate to our family, friends, peers and colleagues
Voice – refers to disorders of our voice. Too loud, too high, sounds gravelly or rough? We look at pitch, volume, and vocal quality