Speech Therapy

Expert Care for Communication and Swallowing Disorders

Communication is essential in almost everything we do. Speech therapy helps you communicate better when you have problems with your speech or voice or difficulty expressing your thoughts. It may also be helpful if you have swallowing or hearing issues.

Our speech-language pathologists, also known as speech therapists, have the medical knowledge and empathy to guide you through communication challenges. You can trust us to provide the skills, tools and encouragement you need to function better and maintain your independence.

Find an Emory Rehabilitation Location

What is Speech Therapy?

At Emory Rehabilitation, our speech therapists diagnose and treat a wide variety of disorders. Children and adults may benefit.

Speech Therapy Treatment

Speech therapy can address all these disorders. Treatment depends on your specific condition and needs. Therapists may recommend exercises to:

  • Better distinguish individual sounds and syllables

  • Direct airflow through your vocal cords to help them function better

  • Expand vocabulary and word recall

  • Improve speech flow

  • Make it easier to produce certain sounds

Therapists may also help you learn to use devices such as communication boards, computers that assist speech and cochlear implants. Cochlear implants are a special hearing aid for people with a specific type of hearing loss.

Swallowing Therapy

If you have swallowing difficulties, therapists may teach you exercises to strengthen the swallowing muscles and improve muscle coordination. They may also teach you how to best position your head and body. To make swallowing easier, they may recommend certain textures and consistencies for food and drink.

What to Expect from Speech Therapy

A speech therapist will evaluate you or your child to determine if speech therapy may be helpful. The therapist will go over your medical history and conduct formal and informal assessments. These may involve observation and standardized tests. Therapists may use play-based tools with young children.

The assessment will look for things such as:

  • Ability to pronounce certain sounds
  • Ability to understand spoken language
  • Ability to use language to express thought
  • Speech flow
  • Voice quality

Your therapist will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan based on your results. Often, this requires ongoing appointments for several months. In some cases, speech disorders improve as children get older or as underlying medical issues in adults get better.

personal_injury

Make an Appointment with Emory Rehabilitation

Create a MyChart account to schedule online or call 404-778-7777 to schedule an appointment.