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Speech therapy is a specialized service used for treatment of speech, language, voice, and swallowing problems for both adults and children. |
Speech therapy is used for babies who have difficulty in feeding or swallowing. In children, those with learning difficulties, autism, hearing impairments, cleft palate, autism, stuttering and lisps can benefit from speech therapy. In adults, those who have suffered a stroke, brain injury, hearing loss, or are enduring Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia, or have problems with eating, swallowing, or communicating can benefit from speech therapy.
The speech therapist will set up a program of speech exercises designed to reduce your specific disability. Often times, there are home exercises that need to be performed, so families are often counseled on treatment techniques to use at home and on how to modify behavior that can interfere with communication.
The main goal of speech therapy is to restore the patient’s ability to communicate accurately.
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How Do I Choose a Speech Therapist? |
Some things to consider when selecting a speech therapist:
- Location: Make sure the provider is within a comfortable travel distance.
- Specialty: Speech therapy can be performed for many disabilities for all ages. Make sure the speech therapist you select is specialized in the patient’s disability.
- Age Group: Some speech therapists specialize in children, others in adults. Verify the therapist you select specializes in the age group of the patient.
- Insurance: Verify the speech therapist is covered by your insurance.
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1. Quality –Quality is very important factor to consider when selecting a new healthcare provider. WhereToFindCare.com can help you locate a quality speech therapist by providing you with the WTFC Quality Score.
WhereToFindCare.com asks users to rate their healthcare experience at speech therapy
providers nationwide. The WTFC Quality Score is the percentage of people who rated the speech therapist on WhereToFindCare.com and said they received quality care. This experience-based satisfaction score cannot be found elsewhere today except by word of mouth.
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2. Recommendations –
Word of mouth recommendations are very important. They can tell us whether we can get along with providers on a personal level. |
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This is important because speech therapists need to be experienced, but they also
need to be patient and compassionate, because the road to recover can sometimes
be slow.
You can read other people’s experience by going to the speech therapist's
page on WhereToFindCare.com and clicking on the Survey Results tab.
There you see how others rated their experience at the speech therapy provider, and any comments made about the speech therapist. Also look for CareStars™. User-nominated CareStars are exceptional caregivers at healthcare centers. CareStars™ comments can give you a sense that the speech therapy provider employs caring individuals that will provide the service you need.
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