Speech-language pathology

Welia Health’s speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients who are suffering from a stroke, brain injury, hearing loss, developmental delay, cleft palate, or other disorders. As part of Welia Health’s team approach, our speech-language pathologists work closely with your primary care providers, audiologists, dietitians, social workers, and other rehabilitative therapists.

Speech-language disorders

• Cognitive aspects (attention, memory, problem-solving)
  Concentrated areas include organization skills, planning skills, insight, judgment, immediate recall, spaced retrieval techniques, money management, and sequencing
• Speech (articulation, fluency)
  Concentrated areas include speech intelligibility, dysarthria, stuttering treatment and strategies, and articulation (difficulty with specific sounds)
• Language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, social language)
  Concentrated areas include auditory comprehension, language expression, reading comprehension, written expression, age-specific pragmatic language and social skills, aphasia
• Swallowing (exercises and compensatory strategies to reduce risk of aspiration/penetration)
  Concentrated areas include diagnosis with video swallow study, training in feeding and swallowing techniques, proper body positioning, feeding techniques for self-help, safe food and liquid consistencies, safe-swallowing strategies, oral sensitivity training, vital stimulation certification
• Voice (hoarseness, poor volume, abnormal vocal quality)
  Concentrated areas include vocal quality, vocal hygiene behaviors, loudness/pitch, vocal cord damage
• Sensory awareness (related to communication and swallowing)

LSVT Loud®

Our speech-language pathologists are certified in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, also referred to as LSVT LOUD®. LSVT LOUD improves vocal loudness by stimulating the muscles of the voice box (larynx) and speech mechanism through a systematic hierarchy of exercises. Focused on a single goal which is to “speak LOUD!” The treatment improves respiratory, laryngeal and articulatory function to maximize speech intelligibility

Speech-language pathology services are available in Mora, Hinckley and Pine City. To learn more, call Rehabilitation Services at 320.225.3356. A referral may be required for speech-language pathology services, please check with your primary care provider and your insurance carrier.

Welia Health’s rehabilitation team offers a wide range of services from sports medicine and athletic training, physical and occupational therapy, specialty care for cardiovascular and respiratory patients, pediatric therapy, hand therapy, speech-language pathology, wound care, and sleep medicine.