Speech-Language Pathology
Improve Your Communication
Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital's expert speech-language pathologists offer a multidisciplinary approach, and inpatient and outpatient services to give every patient the best care available for a wide spectrum of speech, language, and swallowing disorders. They have the experience, and expertise, to help everyone from children (pediatric patients) to the elderly (geriatric patients)…and everyone in between!
Speech-Language Pathology: What is it?
Speech-Language Pathology is the evaluation, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and language problems. Speech-Language Pathologists, or SLPs, provide comprehensive and innovative diagnostic and rehabilitation services for language, speech, or swallowing disorders. SPLs focus on speech sounds, language, voice, fluency, and even feeding and swallowing.
Speech-Language Pathology: Who is it For?
SLPs at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital work with patients of all ages dealing with:
- Neurological disorders (Parkinson's disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, dementia)
- Head and neck cancer
- Brain tumors or traumatic brain injury
- Developmental speech and language delays
- Speech and language disorders including apraxia, dysarthria, stuttering, and aphasia
- Neurodivergence including autism spectrum disorder
Speech-Language Pathology: What to Expect?
Prior to treatment our SPLs assess and evaluate each patient to determine the proper diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. This includes a complete speech, language, and swallowing evaluation. A receptive/expressive language evaluation (how language is understood and produced) is performed on stroke patients, adults with neurological deficits, and children with delayed language development in order to assess the following:
- Articulation: how well sounds are produced for preschool and school-aged children, and adults whose speech is difficult to understand
- Voice: unusual or poor sounding vocal quality for children and adults with hoarse, breathy or nasal voices
- Fluency: interruption of the normal flow of speech for preschool through adults
- Cognitive: impairment of cognitive processes including attention, memory, abstract reasoning, awareness and executive functions, such as planning and problem-solving
- Dysphagia: difficulty or pain experienced while swallowing. It affects adults, children and even infants. Dysphagia makes it difficult for people to consume enough calories and fluids to nourish their bodies and maintain a healthy body weight
After the assessment, our SLPs work with the patient and their care team to develop an individualized therapy plan. Therapy is focused on building or rebuilding specific communication skills. For children, therapy often involves play and language-based games.
Advanced Technology
- Neuromuscular (VitalStim) is being used to help patients improve their ability to safely swallow. VitalStim therapy is an FDA-cleared method to promote swallowing through the application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation to swallowing muscles with the goal to strengthen and re-educate the muscles and improve motor control of the swallowing mechanism.
- Nasometer II is a clinical tool used for the assessment and treatment of patients with cleft palette, motor speech disorders and hearing impairment.
- Visipitch is a clinical tool used to evaluate and treat patients primarily with vocal disorders.
Additional Services:
- Outpatient speech-language services are offered in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, and Latham.
- Audiology is closely related to speech-language pathology. Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital’s audiologists provide comprehensive care from diagnosis to rehabilitation.
Start Your Recovery
Call us today for more information about our rehabilitation programs.
Fax: 518-386-3619