Speech Therapy

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No matter your age, you want to be able to communicate effectively. That means hearing, speaking and understanding to the best of your ability.

At Aurora BayCare Medical Center, we have the one of the most robust speech-language therapy programs in northeast Wisconsin. Compassionate, skilled speech-language pathologists help adults and children overcome voice, swallowing and language challenges.

Speech-Language Therapy: Why Choose Aurora BayCare Medical Center?

At our speech-language therapy program, you’ll find:

  • Experienced pathologists: Licensed speech-language pathologists have training in the latest treatment techniques. Many of our pathologists specialize in condition-specific therapies, including Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) LOUD® for people with Parkinson’s disease.
  • Complete care: We’re here to guide you through every stage of speech rehabilitation. If you’re in the hospital and need our services, inpatient therapists can start working with you right away to aid your recovery. After discharge, we transition you to outpatient care so that you can continue your progress without missing a beat.

Our Services for Speech-Language Therapy

We take the time to understand how speech, language or swallowing challenges are affecting your quality of life. Our therapists work with you one-on-one to build treatment plans that help you meet your unique goals.

Speech therapy for adults

Our services for adults include:

  • Facial neuromuscular retraining: Specialized facial rehabilitation therapy helps you regain face muscle control and coordination. It can help you recover from nerve injury, stroke or related conditions.
  • Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) LOUD®: Certified therapists help people with Parkinson’s disease speak louder and more clearly.
  • McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP): We show you exercises to help you strengthen the muscles involved in safe chewing and swallowing.
  • Modified barium swallow tests: Special X-rays allow us to see how your mouth and throat are working when you swallow. We use this test to plan techniques to help you safely swallow.
  • SPEAK OUT!®: Developed by the Parkinson Voice Project, this therapy program helps people with Parkinson’s disease improve their speech and voice quality.
  • Speaking valves: People who have a tracheostomy (surgically created opening in the neck) often use a tube for breathing. We help them and their caregivers use speaking valves with the tubes to use their voice to make sounds.
  • Cancer care: We provide support for throat cancer patients to improve speech and swallowing abilities.

Speech therapy for children and infants

For children and infants, we offer:

  • NICU developmental therapy: We offer care for premature or sick infants who may not be ready to eat right away. Therapists work with mothers and babies to develop safe feeding techniques. Learn more about NICU developmental therapy.
  • Play-based therapy: We use fun, engaging activities to help children work through communication and speaking challenges.Our therapists help families and caregivers participate in treatment.
  • Cognitive therapy: Our speech-language pathologists help children with developmental delays learn skills for memory, problem solving and concentration.
  • Swallowing therapy: We may recommend exercises to increase strength and agility in a child’s tongue, jaw or throat. Other techniques, such as assistive devices for feeding, can help improve swallowing disorders.

Learn more about our specialized children’s therapy services.

Conditions We Treat

We treat a wide range of swallowing and voice disorders, including:

  • Aphasia: This disorder limits your ability to speak, write or read. Aphasia occurs when the part of your brain that controls language is injured or damaged.
  • Apraxia of speech: This neurologic disorder can cause problems with motor skills (muscle movements) needed for speaking.
  • Dysarthria: Damage to the muscles that control speech, such as the tongue or vocal cords, can make it hard to talk.
  • Dysphagia: This disorder can result from injury to the nerves and muscles that control swallowing, causing difficulty with swallowing, eating and drinking.
  • Hypophonia: Weak vocal muscles due to Parkinson’s disease can cause you to speak very softly or hoarsely.
  • Spasmodic dysphonia: This disorder causes spasms of the voice box muscles, which can make it difficult to speak clearly.

In adults, speech and swallowing problems can result from:

  • Bell’s palsy
  • Brain injury
  • Dementia
  • Head and neck cancers
  • Nerve injury
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Stroke
  • Cancer

In children, speech and swallowing problems happen because of:

  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Childhood speech delays
  • Cleft lip and palate
  • Developmental delays
  • Fluency disorder
  • Hearing loss
  • Processing disorders

Benefits of Speech and Swallowing Therapy

Speech and swallowing therapy can:

  • Build your ability to express thoughts and emotions
  • Enhance language and speaking skills
  • Help you communicate more effectively with speech or sounds
  • Help you eat, drink and swallow safely
  • Improve your social skills at school, at work or in the community