Speech pathology

Speech Pathology

Our speech pathology professionals evaluate and treat patients who may have conditions that cause difficulty with communication, thinking and swallowing. Services are offered to children and adults with a wide range of disorders, including:

Articulation disorder - Articulation disorders are difficulties with the way sounds are formed and strung together, usually characterized by substituting one sound for another (wabbit for rabbit), omitting a sound (coo for school), or distorting a sound (ship for sip).

Aphasia - Aphasia is a language disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language.

Cognitive delay or disorder - Cognitive delays or disorders are defined by lower than average intellectual functioning based on intelligence testing. Cognitive delays or disorders may lead to problems in attention, memory, learning, judgment and problem solving. Speech therapy is helpful in addressing these problems by facilitating communication skill development.

Dysarthria - Dysarthria is a disorder caused by paralysis, weakness, or inability to coordinate the muscles of the mouth. People with Dysarthria may have slurred, slow, and difficult to produce (difficult to understand) speech. The may also have problems controlling the pitch, loudness, rhythm, and voice qualities of their speech.

Fluency (stuttering) - Stuttering is a disorder that involves stumbling, repetition, or hesitation while speaking.

Swallowing difficulty (video swallow studies) - Swallowing difficulty is the inability to safely swallow foods. Symptoms include difficulty breathing while eating or drinking, coughing, choking, food refusal, or frequent lung infections. Swallowing problems can be associated with neurological disorders, poor weight gain, genetic disorders, and anatomic abnormalities, among others. A video swallow study is a procedure that is completed in Radiology with a Speech Pathologist to evaluate under x-ray how food or liquid moves through the mouth and throat. It provides information for treatment planning and diet recommendations.

Feeding evaluations - A clinical feeding evaluation is recommended when people are having problems eating and drinking a varied and nutritious diet. It includes a medical history, feeding diary, examination of the mouth structure and musculature, observation of feeding with caregivers, and feeding by the speech pathologist. A feeding evaluation provides recommendations for changes in positioning, food types, utensils, environment and behavioral strategies to promote optimal food intake.

Voice assessments (stroboscopy exams) - Vocal hoarseness, breathiness, fatigue/weakness, noisy breathing, pitch abnormalities (too low/too high), and excessively muffled or nasal sounds are voice characteristics which may indicate that a voice disorder is present. Typically people have completed an evaluation with an ENT prior to the scheduled speech pathology voice evaluation. Common conditions of the vocal folds include growths such as vocal fold nodules, polyps, cysts, and neurological deficits such as paresis (weakness) and paralysis (lack of movement). Structural abnormalities such as stenosis (narrowing of the trachea), laryngeal/glottal webs, cleft palate, and cleft lip are common causes of voice disorders, as well. Additionally, allergies, asthma, and reflux disease may contribute to reduced voice quality. Assessment and treatment generally focuses on education about the type and cause of the voice disorder, implementation of a home program for improvement of vocal hygiene, identification and reduction of vocally abusive behaviors, and treatment strategies for improving particular voice quality issues.

Free screenings are available for children; contact our main office for more information: (763) 520-5614. Patients can visit our main office or one of our satellite clinics in Maple Grove and Elk River. Evening hours are available.
Click here to visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association — another valuable resource for information on speech and hearing disorders.

Locations:

Robbinsdale at North Memorial Medical Center (plaza level)
3300 Oakdale Ave North
Robbinsdale, MN
(763) 520-5614

Arbor Lakes Medical Building, Suite 210
12000 Elm Creek Blvd.
Maple Grove, MN 55369
(763) 420-7002

North Memorial Clinic
800 Freeport Avenue North
Elk River, MN 55330
(763) 420-7002