Referrals
A referral is required.
Conditions treated
Adults may need speech-language pathology after a stroke or traumatic accident that changes their ability to communicate. Parkinson’s disease, dementia and other neurological conditions can affect communication and may be treated by speech therapy.
Children may need speech-language pathology when they are delayed in reaching developmental milestones or when conditions affecting speech, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, cleft palate, learning disabilities, hearing impairment, genetic disorders, prematurity or a brain injury have been identified.
Both adults and children may need to see a speech-language pathologist if they are having swallowing difficulties. Symptoms of swallowing problems include coughing and choking at meals, unexplained weight loss and frequent pneumonias.
Other conditions speech-language pathologists treat include:
What to expect
If you or your loved one is struggling with speech communication disorders or experiencing swallowing difficulties, ask your healthcare provider if a referral to speech-language pathology can help.
Our speech-language pathologists work closely with patients and their healthcare providers to develop individualized therapy plans tailored to the patient’s unique needs. At your first appointment, the speech-language pathologist will assess your speech, language and/or swallowing difficulty and recommend an individualized therapy plan. This plan may include various exercises and strategies to improve speech intelligibility and/or swallowing function, as well as activities to stimulate word retrieval, comprehension or conversation. The plan will include a prescribed number of sessions for the pathologist to guide you through the prescribed exercises to achieve your specific goals.
A video fluoroscopic swallow study may be ordered if you have a swallowing disorder.
Therapy settings
We provide speech-language pathology on an outpatient basis in the Rehabilitation Services department on the third floor of the hospital on our Glencoe campus.
Our speech-language pathologists also provide therapy to patients who are recovering in the Transitional Care Unit on the second floor of the hospital.
