Your Expert Partner in Speech Language Pathology Care for Ages 0-107
For nearly 20 years, San Diego Speech Therapy has been your expert partner for swallowing disorders, tongue thrust and speech therapy. We are a certified provider in Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT/LOUD®) and treating swallowing disorders (dysphagia) using VitalStim®. We help children and adults gain or regain their quality of life. Communication, thinking and language skills, and swallowing abilities are essential for happy human interactions.
We work with children (infant to 21) and adults of all ages recovering from brain injuries, neurological conditions, stroke, cancer treatment, speech, language and swallowing problems (including feeding tube dependence). Call today to speak with our expert therapist.
Professional Speech Development & Voice Improvement
Does your voice command attention or tune people out? We can help develop your professional or presentation voice. Many professionals use a speech rate which is too fast, speaking pitch which “grates”, or loudness level which is inappropriate-too quiet or loud. Combined with nonverbal (vocal use) patterns, people either decide you are the expert or someone to tune out. How do you hold your audience’s attention? Call today for a free screening.
With our professional speech development expertise (including accent reduction therapy–see below), we help adults present an image which says you are the expert and hold your audience’s attention. Recapture your status by improving your voice. A voice which is “grating”, too loud, or inappropriately pitched will cause people to notice your voice, not what you are saying. They may even complain about you or your voice being disruptive. We can help you modulate your voice and facilitate new found respect by those YOU respect.
Tongue Thrust Therapy
For children or adults who have an “overbite,” “crossbite,” etc. and require braces, it is important to have an evaluation for tongue thrust to ensure that when your braces come off, your teeth are not pushed back into an unsightly position by the force of your tongue pressing on your teeth as you speak and swallow. Did you know that tongue thrust typically distorts nearly a dozen English sounds? Call today for a free screening.
This condition often goes unidentified. If not corrected, braces have to be put on a second (even multiple) time(s) as the thrusting pushes your teeth into an abnormal bite and alters your smile and speech.
Accent Improvement
Accent Improvement Therapy is different from English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. It is designed to address specific pronunciation patterns in conversational speech for non-native Standard American English (SAE)-speakers.
With our graduate level education and experience in speech analysis, we offer individualized sessions to analyze your particular speech, language (“grammar”), and voice patterns. We help you set the goals you need to achieve so you are easier to understand and people pay more attention to what you are saying than how you are (or are not) saying it. WHAT you say is 5% of your message, HOW you say it is the other 95%. Let our expert coach you to success!
The benefits of this work include:
– reduced frustration for you and your listeners
– improved professional image
– improved confidence
– reduction of grammatical and articulation “errors”
– better ability to be understood on the phone and during presentations
– improved public speaking skills
Cognitive, Speech & Swallowing Disorders
We provide therapy for language comprehension disorders and/or language expression disorders such aphasia and cognitive communication disorders resulting from brain injury and dementia. We treat swallowing disorders (dysphagia) using VitalStim® Dysphagia Therapy. We use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (including gestural/sign-based communication, speech devices, artificial larynx). We also provide education and training of caregivers and community groups, community-based and home-based services, consultation and and education services.
Services include assessment and intervention services for adults (ages 18 to geriatric) with a variety of diagnoses, including motor speech disorders and voice disorders. Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT/LOUD®)
Post-Hospital Stay Therapy Transition
Whether you or your loved one is not yet home or is recently home from the hospital, planning for follow up therapy should be an important next step. Early after discharge, as soon as possible following a medical incident, related to surgery, illness, or hospitalization there is what is called a “critical window” of time during which it is best to receive intensive therapy for optimal recovery. That “critical window” is when you’ll want an expert partner in your corner.
At SDST, we provide on-site or in-clinic care, depending on your needs. We work with children and adults of all ages recovering from brain injuries, brain surgeries, stroke, cancer treatment, swallowing problems (including feeding tube dependence), and a variety of communication and speech problems. We’ll coordinate care with your in hospital care providers for an optimal continuum-of-care.