Speech/language therapist specialize in  assessing, diagnosing, and treating people with communication problems as well as people who have problems with thinking skills such as memory, concentration and problem solving resulting from injury, stroke, surgery or head and neck cancer.

Speech/language therapy services can help people who have difficulty with:

• understanding spoken language
• reading/writing
• thinking of words or communicating with others
• speech
• voice: hoarseness, soft voice, strain or pain when talking
• swallowing: coughing or choking when eating and drinking
• cognitive or thinking skills like memory, concentration, problem solving

Various treatment approaches are used including equipment and technology to improve function and quality of life.

Videostroboscopoy
is a diagnostic procedure used to identify any subtle changes in the vibratory patterns. A digital computer and strobe light are used to make the images of the vocal cord vibrations appear in slow motion, so that any abnormal patterns of vibration may be detected.

The VitalStim® Therapy System 
involves the administration of small, electrical impulses to the swallowing muscles in the throat through electrodes attached to the skin overlaying the musculature. A small, carefully calibrated current stimulates the motor nerves in the throat.  The muscles responsible for swallowing then contract and the quality of the swallowing function improves.  With repeated therapy, the muscles are re-educated.

Auditory/Visual Feedback
Working with the therapist, patients speak into a microphone connected to a computer. Software records the voice and provides visual and auditory feedback in real time. Therapists can then provide target vocalizations for comparison and the patient works to match these to reach their goal.