Adults

Voice disorders are characterized by a mismatch between the sound of an individual’s voice and his/her age, size, and/or gender. This may include abnormal loudness, pitch, or overall voice quality. For example, a teacher who habitually speaks in noisy conditions may develop vocal polyps or nodules which causes hoarseness. Resonance disorders are characterized by a difference in airflow through the nose and mouth. This may include hypernasality, an excessive emission of air through the nose, or hyponasality, a lack of appropriate nasal airflow during speech, such as nasal congestion.

Individuals with fluency disorders have difficulties with the flow and rhythm of speech. It is commonly known as a stutter. This occurs when an individual experiences syllable, word, or phrase repetitions (“I wa-, wa-, want to go”), prolongations (“I wwwwant to go”) and/or blocking (“I——want to go”). Often, individuals who stutter demonstrate additional behaviours such as poor eye contact and avoidance of difficult words. He/she may also present secondary behaviours such as eye blinking or fist clenching. Stuttering may look different from one individual to another and can range from a single word repetition (“My-my wife went to the store”) to an extended block, such that the individual who can’t get a word out.

Seeking therapy may increase a speaker’s confidence as well as reduce the likelihood of social withdrawal or avoidance of certain communication situations, such as speaking to superiors, answering questions and participating in oral presentations.

Acquired brain injuries result from damage to the brain, such as from an automobile accident, birth trauma and other such events. Damage of this type can result in temporary, prolonged, or permanent impairment to cognitive, emotional, behavioural and/or physical functioning.

Symptoms of an acquired brain injury may vary depending on the individual as well as the severity and area of the damage. As a result of such an injury, an individual may experience difficulties with:

• Receptive Language
• Expressive Language
• Fluency
• Word Retrieval
• Motor Speech (e.g. dysarthria, apraxia)
• Swallowing
• Literacy
• Attention
• Memory
• Organizing/Planning
• Information Processing
• Verbal Reasoning
• Problem Solving
• Social Communication

Neurodegenerative Disorders is an umbrella term to describe certain disorders that affect the functioning of the brain. These conditions can change over time. Some examples include Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Treatment may include therapy to help improve various language (e.g. ability to understand and use language) and cognitive skills (e.g. memory, organization) as well as functional skills for daily life. Treatment may also include Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to assist the individual with his/her ability to communicate.

An individual who has suffered a stroke may experience a variety of language impairments. Aphasia is a communication disorder that is caused by damage to the area of the brain that is responsible for expressing and processing speech and language. Aphasia is most commonly seen in clients who have experienced strokes. Adults with aphasia may present with mild to severe difficulties in the following areas:

• Expressive Language Skills (e.g., word retrieval, articulation, vocabulary skills, grammar/sentence structure)
• Receptive Language Skills (e.g., understanding speech, following instructions)
• Social Language Skills (e.g., language usage when talking to others)
• Literacy Skills (e.g., reading & writing)

Our team at Talk Talk has experience providing support to individuals with aphasia and speech affected by stroke. Support is offered to caregivers as well. Treatment may also include Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to assist the individual with his/her ability to communicate.