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Home » Services » Rehab & Therapy » Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy (ST) is designed to help people with conditions that affect their speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, fluency and other related disorders.

For more information about speech therapy, please visit our Health Library.

Dysphagia

Dysphagia impairs swallowing and may interfere with nutrition, the enjoyment of food, and breathing. Aspiration is when food and/or liquid enter the airway instead of the esophagus. Aspiration may lead to pneumonia or serious chronic lung disease if a swallowing dysfunction is not addressed.

Symptoms

Coughing during or right after eating or drinking
Wet or gurgling sound of voice after eating or drinking
Extra effort or time needed to chew or swallow
Drooling or food getting stuck in the mouth
Recurring pneumonias
Weight loss from poor nutrition, dehydration

Treatment Programs

Our treatment programs target:

Strengthening the muscles involved in swallowing
Specifying food or liquid modifications
Teaching compensatory postures, behaviors and oral movements.

All Catholic Health Speech-Language Pathologists are certified in the use of VitalStim® for the treatment of dysphagia.

More Information

Please call (716) 677-5022 for more information on this treatment option.

Dysarthria

Dysarthria is a speech disorder characterized by weakness, slow movement, and a lack of coordination of the muscles associated with speech. Dysarthria can result from neurological conditions, surgery, infections or head injuries. Dysarthria and dysphagia may co-occur.

Symptoms

Difficulty with articulation, quality of sound, rhythm, melody or process of speech

Treatment Programs

Our treatment programs target:

Strenghtening muscle involved in swallowing and speech
Improving tongue movement to facilitate better sound
Teaching compensatory techniques and / or alternative or augmentative systems

Aphasia

Aphasia is a disorder that impairs a person's ability to understand, formulate and use language. It is most commonly the result of a neurological condition such as a stroke or severe head injury.

Symptoms

Difficulties with reading, writing, problem solving, orientation or attention
Limited auditory comprehension
Diminished verbal expression
Need for alternative / augmented communication

Treatment Programs

Our treatment programs target:

Improving social communication skills
Improving and understanding use of vocabulary and grammar
Increasing understanding / answering of simple and complex directions
Promoting high-level problem solving and functional tasks

Outpatient Speech Therapy

Our therapists treat patients at the following rehab centers:

Partners In Rehab Sisters Hospital (Buffalo)
Partners In Rehab Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph Campus (Cheektowaga)
Partners In Rehab West Seneca

Subacute Speech Therapy

Subacute care is primarily for patients who have recently been hospitalized and need a transitional care setting between their hospital stay and their return to home.