Speech Therapy at Avita
The adult speech therapists at Avita Health System are professionals trained to evaluate and treat disorders of speech, communication, voice, swallowing, and cognition. Medical Speech therapists work closely with Primary Care Physicians and specialists such as ENT, Neurologists, Oncologists, Radiologists, and Pulmonologists
For more information on Pediatric Speech Therapy visit our Pediatric Therapy page.
Who Can Benefit from Avita Speech Therapy Services?
We offer inpatient and outpatient services to patients who have conditions such as:
- Neurological disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury or brain tumors
- Degenerative neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Guillian-Barre, Myasthenia Gravis, Multiple Sclerosis, or ALS
- Alzheimer’s dementia
- Head and neck cancer
- Voice disorders (including vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold polyps, nodules, and vocal fold dysfunction)
- Pulmonary disorders (chronic lung disease, COPD, ventilator or tracheostomy dependent)
- Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD)
- Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux ( LPR)
- Deconditioned state
- Elevated aspiration risk
- Chronic cough
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Life limiting illness affecting swallowing or communication
Why Choose Avita Speech Therapy?
Our adult speech therapy staff at Avita has advanced training in many specialized areas, and we are able to provide skilled services including:
- Swallow evaluation
- Modified barium swallow study (MBS)
- Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)
- Videostroboscopic evaluation of Voice Disorder
- VitalStim neuromuscular electrical stimulation for swallowing
- Myofascial Release
- Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation (DPNS)
- Facial Muscle Exercise Program (FMEP)
- LSVT® Loud treatment for Parkinson’s disease
- Standardized testing for communication and cognition
Common Symptoms
- Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia)
- Difficulty chewing
- Difficulty getting food or drink down to the stomach
- Sensation of food catching in throat
- Coughing and choking while eating and drinking
- Pain or discomfort while eating and drinking
- Wet sounding voice while eating and drinking
- Difficulty breathing while eating and drinking
- Recurrent pneumonias
- Significant or unexplained weight loss
- Voice Disorders
- Hoarse voice
- Frequent throat clearing
- Chronic cough
- Running out of air when talking
- Others have difficulty hearing your voice
- Voice gets weaker throughout the day
- Need to strain to use voice
- Communication, Cognition, and Speech Disorders
- Stuttering
- Trouble understanding directions
- Difficulty understanding language
- Difficulty finding the right words
- Trouble remembering important or recent information
- Difficulty organizing thoughts and sequencing events
- Difficulty solving basic problems
- Slurred or mumbled speech
- Slow or labored speech
- Difficulty expressing thoughts