FAQ

If you have even the smallest concern that your child is not meeting developmental norms for speech, language, literacy or social skills you should contact our office. Our therapists will complete a comprehensive evaluation including all areas of concern and sit down with you to explain your child’s performance as well as strategies to support any deficits areas.

What does a child do in speech therapy?

Every session is designed to meet the individual needs of the child. Some sessions are play-based and include use of familiar toys from home, materials from our office, and even siblings or parents. Other sessions may be more structured and feel like a classroom setting where the therapist and child work together to develop a certain skills. All activities or skills practiced in speech therapy sessions are reviewed with the parents and homework activities are provided to continue the fun at home.

Southwest Rehabilitation is a speech therapy office, and my child has trouble with grammar, reading, and forming his thoughts, is this considered speech therapy?

Absolutely! Speech therapy for children includes speaking with appropriate sounds, structure and content, as well as learning language, early reading skills, appropriate social interactions, and the combination of all of these skills together to support success in the school environment.

Is your summer reading program considered speech therapy? Will I need insurance and a doctor referral to sign up my child?

Our summer reading program is a private pay program that is being offered by our staff to promote literacy skills within our community. The program is being led by one of our therapists with a graduate degree in communication disorders as well as a degree in special education with 3 years of teaching reading to learners with a wide variety of learning needs.

My child has a stutter but friends tell me that he will “grow out of it”, is this true?

Some children do grow out of a stutter by school age if not earlier; however, there are a number of factors that increase a child’s risk for long term stuttering. It is important to have your child evaluated for these risk factors and learn ways to structure communication with your child to ensure that speech remains fun and easy.

I’m choking when I eat but I don’t want to limit the types of foods in my diet, what can be done to help me?

Many people report difficulty with swallowing and nobody wants to give up their favorite foods. Swallowing therapy can include oral motor exercises to improve strength, tone and function as well as diet texture adjustments to ensure that there is an appropriate mix of foods to meet your individual swallowing needs. For our patients with swallowing difficulties we create a workbook of educational materials, individualized exercises, and meal time strategies to improve safety and comfort with every meal.

My father had a stroke and is having difficulty speaking. He is getting increasingly more frustrated and is starting to avoid social situations, is speech therapy a good idea?

While strokes do cause some irreversible damage, many patients demonstrate significant improvements in their communication skills for months and years after a stroke. Our therapists can design a program to address his difficulty speaking while also teaching him alternate means of communication when he cannot get the words to come. If needed, there are many different types of technological devices designed to support communication.

I’ve started to get a harsh sounding voice, especially in the afternoon, and am now experiencing a sore throat. What could be the cause?

There are a number of factors that can contribute to a harsh vocal quality. These can include reflux, smoking, dehydration, vocal abuse, and damage to the vocal chords including vocal nodules that you often hear about with singers. An evaluation with a speech therapist will identify any factors for vocal abuse or misuse and therapy sessions can teach you strategies to protect your vocal quality while teaching you exercises to strengthen the vocal muscles and improve the quality of your voice. Often times patients can learn strategies and achieve significant improvements in 4-6 weeks.