What Should I Expect from Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy can target a variety of impairments including cognitive functioning (memory, attention, problem solving, planning, etc), speech, language, voice, and swallowing. Most patients I have worked with have not had any experience with speech therapy and come to their first visit without knowing what to expect. Here is a breakdown of a course of therapy to get a better understanding of what to expect from speech therapy:

• Initial Visit: We will review your relevant medical history, discuss concerns related to the impairment (cognition, speech, language, voice, or swallowing), complete a standardized assessment to determine strengths/ weaknesses which will help guide development of a plan for treatment. Following the assessment, we will discuss results and recommendations for therapy and home management.

  
  

• Follow Up Visits: Treatment visits will typically begin with discussion of any new issues or concerns you are having. You will participate in therapy exercises to address strategy training, cognitive or language stimulation exercises (yes, you can exercise your brain), or voice or swallow exercises. Treatment visits will also consist of education, strategies, discussion of home/ community resources, and development of a home program.

  
  

• GOAL OF THERAPY: The goal of all speech therapy, regardless of your diagnosis, is to complete therapy with increased knowledge related to managing impairments, have a good understanding of home / community resources, and to move on to be independent with a home program.

  
  

• Discharge: Speech therapy is not forever. My goal as a therapist is to provide you with all the tools and knowledge to transition to home management. Refresher therapy visits may be needed in the future to provide further education or modify home program. The number of visits each patient receives is based on their needs.

How can I get the most out of speech therapy?

The most important thing to get the most out of speech therapy is to do your homework! If you have 1 hour of therapy per week but do not put in the time to practice your skills and home program the rest of the week, that is 167 hours lost per week! The best way to implement a home program is to schedule the tasks/ exercises into your day as if they were an appointment to ensure that you do them. In my experience, the patients who make the most progress and feel like therapy helped are the patients who are consistent with their home program. While it may seem overwhelming to spend more time doing therapy tasks at home, this is the only way to make the progress you hope to make.