Speech-language therapy can help prevent and treat communication and swallowing disorders. At Perry County Memorial Hospital (PCMH), speech therapy is provided by certified speech-language pathologists.

Their team can provide a full spectrum of diagnostic, education and treatment services for disorders related to:

• Speech.
• Language.
• Hearing.
• Swallowing and feeding.
• Cognitive aspects of communication.
• Central auditory processing.
• Sensory awareness.
• Stuttering.
• Voice disorders

In addition, their staff can establish speech-generating devices for children with autism and people who have had a traumatic brain injury or cardiovascular incident.

They also offer VitalStim® Therapy, the only FDA-approved treatment for trouble swallowing, called dysphagia.

Do you or a loved one need a speech therapist?

Signs that a child may benefit from speech therapy:

• The child is not talking by the age of 2 years or uses less than 20 words.
• At age 2, child primarily gestures or grunts to communicate.
• Adults have a difficult time understanding a child after the age of 3.
• At age 3, the child leaves off many beginning or ending consonants.
• The child requires repetition to understand simple directions at age 3.
• At age 3, child does not combine words into two- or three-word phrases, and is less than 80 percent intelligible (able to be understood).
• Child's speech consists mostly of vowel sounds.
• At age 5, the child's sentence structure is incomplete; the child leaves out words or substitutes words.
• The child's speech is too fast, too slow, or doesn't flow naturally after age 5.
• The child is embarrassed and bothered by his or her speech at any age.
• The child is making errors in speech sounds after age 6.
• The child's voice quality is too high or too low for his or her age and sex.
• The child's voice is hoarse all the time.

Signs that an adult may benefit from speech therapy:

• Slurred, unintelligible, slow or stuttered speech.
• Use of nonsense words, difficulty answering questions, inappropriate answers to questions, or aphasia (problems finding the right words).
• Difficulty identifying objects, following directions or comprehending questions.
• Whispered, breathy, strained or strangled speech.
• Stuttering (initial sound repetition, whole or partial word repetition, phrase repetition, or blocking on a sound).
• Cognitive difficulties such as decreased attention span, memory trouble, or problems with sequencing, problem solving, verbal reasoning, or orientation.
• Swallowing difficulties (symptoms of aspiration, holding food in the mouth, residue after meals or persistent coughing at meals).
• Difficulty understanding written material.
• Difficulty using or understanding gestures.

For questions or to schedule an appointment, call PCMH Speech Therapy at 573-768-3216