Speech Therapy in Smithfield, North Carolina
While speech therapy is often associated with children, many adults also benefit from treatment. In fact, many adult patients have unaddressed speech and language disorders from childhood. Speech therapy in Smithfield, North Carolina helps to treat speech and communication disorders such as articulation, fluency, resonance, expressive, and other issues.
Coastal Speech Therapy is patient-centered with all our treatment plans personalized to each of our patients. All of our speech-language pathologists are licensed under the North Carolina Board of Examiners and the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
What Is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy evaluates and treats speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders while also teaching individuals to use augmentative and alternative communication systems (AAC) for the nonverbal expression of ideas. Speech therapy looks different for both adults and children, and treatments are personalized to each individual.
Adults may need speech therapy to improve receptive language, or understanding words spoken to them, expressive language, or using their voice to communicate, and the mechanics of producing sounds such as articulation, fluency, and voice volume regulation. Major life events like a stroke or brain injury can change the way a person produces and processes speech and other communication skills.
Pediatric speech therapy is used to help children better communicate with their peers and adults. Children who need speech therapy services are encouraged to start speech therapy before the age of 5, as there are no previously learned speech behaviors, though all children regardless of age benefit immensely from speech therapy. SLPs will work with children on articulation, vocabulary, feeding and swallowing issues, hearing impairments, and more.
How Do Speech Therapists Help Their Patients?
Speech therapy can help improve articulation and fluency disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, and oral/feeding/swallowing problems. The goal of the therapy is to enable people to express themselves clearly, communicate with others, and engage in meaningful activities.
Speech-language pathologists help treat adults and kids through various activities such as language intervention activities using books, objects, and talking, articulation therapy which helps adults and children with sound production, oral and motor feeding and swallowing therapy which helps both adults and children eat without choking and strengthen their muscles.
The team at Coastal Speech Therapy uses a variety of treatment approaches to address these conditions and more. We offer personalized treatment plans for our patients and will evaluate and determine the best treatment course depending on their needs.
How Speech Therapy Benefits our North Carolina Patients
Speech-language pathologists understand how important effective communication is for all aspects of life—from developing friendships to academic success, and even helping adults regain their ability to communicate after a brain injury. As a result, they strive to provide solutions that work for individuals of all ages.
Individual therapy sessions allow a speech-language pathologist to observe an individual’s speech, language, and articulation skills and determine the best course of action for treating them. They may use various speech and language techniques to help improve articulation, phonology, voice, and fluency.
For children, group speech therapy may also be an option. This provides the children with an environment that mimics typical day-to-day activities they would encounter in social settings like school, extracurricular activities, and friends’ houses.
What Does Speech Therapy Help Treat?
Speech-language pathologists treat a wide variety of communication disorders, from articulation and fluency concerns such as stuttering, to oral motor issues like chewing and swallowing. They also work with children on social skills development and the management of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Swallowing disorders, known as dysphagia, are addressed by therapists who may teach techniques to reduce the risk of choking or inhaling food particles. They also help adults relearn swallowing coordination and improve musculature in their throat and mouth. Other conditions treated by speech therapy include aphasia, which is caused by stroke, dysarthria, which involves slow or slurred speech, and resonance or voice disorders, like a hoarse or breathy voice. These disorders are caused by a number of health conditions, such as cleft palate, neurological disorders, and head trauma.
Coastal Speech Therapy in Smithfield, North Carolina
At Coastal Speech Therapy, we are committed to helping children and adults reach their full potential. We offer quality pediatric and adult speech therapy services that can help our patients overcome communication disorders, live a more fulfilling life, and reach their educational and professional goals.
Our experienced team of speech-language pathologists will evaluate and treat you or your child for any disorder that may be affecting their communication. We will work together to achieve measurable results and help our patients feel confident in their abilities! Contact us today to schedule an evaluation and experience the Coastal Speech Therapy difference.