Speech therapy predominantly focuses on swallowing and speech deficits. However, a speech or occupational therapist can also address decreased independence with self-feeding. When a patient suffers from decreased independence with self-feeding, it...
Language delays are the most common developmental delay, according to Healthy Children, and one in five children will experience a delay in speech or language. Often, speech delays will resolve on their own, and at-home speech therapy techniques...
Several diseases and disorders, such as Hypotonia and autism, can affect the muscles in the face responsible for speech. By utilizing various facial exercises to help build muscle tone and responsiveness of facial muscles, you can improve speech...
Language development starts well before a child can speak. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or ASHA, lists developmental milestones from birth onward, and encourages you to seek advice from a certified speech-language pathologist...
Dysphagia is a common condition experienced following a stroke. Northeast Florida Medicine notes that the condition may vary from pain while swallowing to tremendous difficulty swallowing certain consistencies of food and drink to aspiration of...
Cerebral palsy describes a group of movement disorders that appear during the first years of a patient's life and affect the ability to move and maintain posture and balance.
Hypotonia is a lack of muscle tone. According to Children's Hospital Boston, hypotonia can leave children with motor problems. Jaw and neck dislocations can also result; children with this condition frequently experience challenges with eating,...
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that describes several disorders that affect the ability of afflicted patients to coordinate the movements of their muscles. The Mayo Clinic explains that in the United States and Europe, one or two out of every...
There are many therapies available to help a person with autism lead a normal life. Early intervention is the key with all of them. The younger a child gets help, the better they are able to succeed. Some symptoms of autism include a detachment...
Cerebral palsy (CP), caused by damage or abnormal development of the brain, results in difficulties coordinating and controlling muscles. Symptoms of CP generally appear in early childhood or infancy. While the symptoms vary from person to person,...
Apraxia resulting from stroke can arrive in several forms and in many cases-accompanies aphasia--a language disorder. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke suggest that apraxia can affect the mouth, limbs, movements, speech,...
More than 700,000 Americans suffer a major stroke each year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Two-thirds of them require intensive rehabilitative therapy in order to regain independence, mobility and...
Polymyositis means inflammation of many muscles. It is a chronic disease that causes weakness of skeletal muscles involved with movement. The muscles affected are close to the body’s trunk: hip, thigh, shoulder, upper arm, neck, diaphragm...
Developmental therapy comprises various disciplines including physical therapy and treats developmental delay by concentrating on improving a child's ability to meet developmental milestones involving sensory, gross and fine motor skills,...
Home health care services are provided to home-bound patients in need of therapy or nursing services. Home health care helps rehabilitate and provide education to those suffering from illness such as stroke or heart disease. Home health also...
Home health services are intended to treat or assist individuals who need ongoing care after being discharged from the hospital. Sometimes friends and family members are working or have family obligations of their own and therefore are unable to...
A velopharyngeal insufficiency is rare following an adenoidectomy -- one in 2,500 patients may experience this condition. Adenoidectomies are most commonly performed on children. Velopharyngeal insufficiency is a condition where the soft palate --...
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is the result of a blow to the head in which the brain suffers damage. A number of complications can occur from a TBI that require both immediate and ongoing, long-term treatment, according to...
If you are charged with the care of a person suffering from some form of apraxia, it's important to seek the appropriate therapy to treat and manage the disorder. Speech and language therapy is used for those who have apraxia of speech and...
Communicating with your child is the best way to help improve his language development. According to the KidsHealth's website, you can start interacting from infancy to help him improve his speech acquisition as he gets older. If you suspect a...
Broca's aphasia is a type of aphasia, a condition resulting from a brain injury to areas responsible for language. Broca's aphasia results from damage to the frontal lobe from occurrences such as stroke, brain injury or brain tumor. A sufferer of...
Cerebral palsy (also known as CP) is a disorder that typically manifests during the first few years of a patient's life. Cerebral palsy affect's a child's ability to coordinate movements and can cause muscles that are either abnormally stiff and...
Fluency disorders refer to conditions that interfere with your speech flow. This includes stuttering or any consistent repetitions, blocks or prolonged pauses. Fluency disorders usually begin in childhood, and most children overcome them as they...
Stuttering is a complex communication disorder characterized by involuntary interruptions in speech, says Megan Lowe, an Austin-based speech-language pathologist at Central Texas Speech Pathology Services, Inc. who specializes in dyfluency...
Autism is a neurologic disorder that affects childhood development, causing impaired social interaction, repetitive movement and impaired communication. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of autism set in before the age of three. For reasons...
Strokes can be debilitating experiences that require extensive physical, occupational and speech therapy. According to the Patient Education Institute, rehabilitation exercises are meant to retrain the brain to direct speech, thought, movement,...
Verbal skills involve the use of language in order to be expressive. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) states that the first three years of life are the most intensive period for learning language....
Strengthening the muscles in and around your mouth will improve your ability to speak. If you or your child are having speech difficulties, always see a doctor to rule out any chronic disorders before beginning oral exercises. Once you have...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurological disease, causing paralysis and muscle weakness. It is eventually fatal. The disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and the...
Autism is a genetic brain development disorder that affects social behavior and communication skills. Get professional tips and advice on treatments, causes, and symptoms of autism in this video.
Asperger's Syndrome, or NLD, is a form of Autism. Find out what it is like to be a caregiver for someone who has Asperger's Syndrome in this video.
Age is the biggest factor when considering therapy for a child. Learn how to get started with child's therapy from a licensed clinical social worker in this video.
