While speech therapy is known to be incredibly helpful to children with speech and language issues, many people are not aware of the benefits speech therapy can provide for adults as well. Adult speech therapy is often part of recovery programs for illnesses or injury, and it can also help manage other medical conditions that affect speech, language and eating. Here are some common questions about how speech therapy can help adults:

What is speech therapy for adults?

The goal of speech therapy is the same for any age: to improve skills that will lead to more effective and confident communication. Some adults need speech therapy to address a medical condition, while others need help reorganizing thoughts, orientation, and memory following an injury or illness. During an initial evaluation, prospective speech therapy patients will be evaluated on the following areas:

• Speech: quality and clarity of sound production

• Voice: pitch, volume, quality, and resonance

• Language: expressive language (expressing thoughts and ideas) and receptive language (understanding others)

• Cognitive communication: memory, orientation, problem solving, organization and attention

• Social communication: conversational dynamics

Speech therapy can also address stuttering and its impact on the patient’s social communication, as well as swallowing issues linked to speech deficiencies. 

What conditions can affect speech for adults?

Medical issues such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or Multiple Sclerosis can affect speaking and language skills. Accidents that injure the brain, throat, jaw, or facial structure can also impair the ability to speak. While adult speech therapy is not guaranteed to cure all speech disabilities, many patients see strong improvement in language skills and increased confidence and quality of life.

What are common signs that an adult might need speech therapy?

An inability to speak properly is often embarrassing, and many adults are reluctant to seek help. It may be time to seek out speech therapy if your loved one experiences any combination of the following symptoms:

• Speaking softly or barely able to whisper

• Rapid rate of speech with mumbling

• Hoarseness, breathiness, or nasal and stuffy-sounding speech

• Poor vocal quality

• Decline in memory

• Decline in ability to produce or understand language

• Difficulty with non-speech movements such as sticking out the tongue

What do you treat in speech therapy?

Children typically need speech therapy for articulation disorders, which involves the inability to properly form certain word sounds, but treatment for adults involves a broader range of speech and language disorders, including:

• Fluency disorders: Affecting the flow, speed and rhythm of speech, including stuttering (blocked or interrupted speech) and cluttering (rapid speech that merges words together).

• Resonance disorders: Occurring when an obstruction of regular airflow in the oral or nasal cavities alters vibrations and voice quality, often associated with cleft palate and neurological disorders.

• Receptive disorders: Difficulty understanding and processing what others are saying, linked to autism, hearing loss and head injury.

• Expressive disorders: Difficulty expressing or conveying information, forming accurate sentences, or using correct verb tense, associated with developmental impairments or head trauma.

• Cognitive communication disorders: Difficulty communicating due to a brain injury or neurological condition that affects memory, problem solving, speaking and listening. 

What happens in speech therapy for adults?

After an assessment to determine the specific needs of the patient, speech therapy exercises can begin. Treatment plans are customized to the individual, but speech therapy sessions may include: 

• Breathing exercises to improve resonance

• Exercises to strengthen oral muscles for clarity

• Conversational strategies to improve social communication

• Activities to improve cognitive communication such as problem solving, memory, and organization 

Adult speech therapy patients will typically also be given “homework,” or customized strategies and exercises to practice at home between therapy appointments. Practicing throughout the week usually leads to faster improvement and more effective speech therapy sessions.

Do you know someone who could benefit from speech therapy? We can help.

If you’re looking for a skilled nursing facility that provides speech therapy, you’ve come to the right place. At Bella Vista Health Center in Lemon Grove, we offer a clinical Speech Therapy program that consists of treatment, support, and care for those who have difficulties with communication, cognition, or swallowing.  In addition to our skilled nursing services and five-star facility, our speech therapy after stroke programs may be just what you’re looking for to help improve your loved one’s speech and language abilities—as well as their quality of life. 

Give us a call today.