Speech Therapy Clinic RI

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Speech-Language Pathologist Job Role A speech-language pathologist (SLP) also known as a speech therapist is an expert health professional in treating people with speech, language, and swallowing problems. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) handle a wide range of communication disorders among children and adults in clinics, schools, and hospitals. In this article, we will outline a list of disorders that SLPs can work with. An SLP has many responsibilities including the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a person’s communication and/or swallowing status. An SLP’s core competencies include speech, language, and related disorders evaluation and treatment as follows: 1. Speech Issues These issues occur when individuals have difficulty producing speech sounds correctly. This includes distortions, substitutions, and omissions of sounds. 2. Fluency The ability to produce speech fluently. Common problems with fluency include stuttering (sound, syllable, word, or phrase repetitions), interjections, and/or blocking of sounds. 3. Voice When there is a suspected voice disorder the client must first see a medical doctor to get a diagnosis and a prescription for therapy. Depending on the cause of the disorder a personalized treatment plan will be developed for the client. 4. Language Problems Receptive language disorder: This is a disorder where the client has difficulty understanding and synthesizing language Expressive language disorder: This disorder is characterized by a difficulty formulating language. Aphasia: Inability in speaking and understanding others is a state that is generally caused by damage to the brain. Pragmatic Language Disorder: Difficulty using language in a socially appropriate way 5. Feeding and Swallowing


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