Talk is not cheap – just ask the millions of Americans who have speech or swallowing problems. These problems are serious and may isolate the person from loved ones or community members.
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, created to raise awareness to the fact that every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are affected by conditions and disorders that affect their hearing and speech.
Speech or swallowing problems are usually the result of a medical or surgical condition (such as a stroke or Parkinson’s disease) that can happen at any age and can seriously impact quality of life.
But there is hope. Speech-language pathologists are medical professionals who diagnose and treat speech, language, voice and swallowing disorders. They provide treatment and coping strategies to eliminate or minimize these problems.
Speech, language and related disorders affect children and adults. They include:
· Aphasia, which occurs when people have difficulty expressing themselves or understanding spoken words
· Dysphagia, which are swallowing disorders that can cause discomfort and in some cases, be life threatening
· Voice disorders occur when vocal fold abnormalities or neurological conditions may make voice production challenging
· Stuttering involves hesitations and sound repetitions that interrupt the normal flow of conversational speech
· Developmental disorders include difficulty with speech and language development that may have a negative impact on school performance and social development
While speech problems are one aspect of better hearing and speech month, hearing issues are the other. Hearing is a complicated process: Sound must be channeled into the ear, where the smallest bones in the body turn sound waves into electrical impulses. These pulses move into the brain, which interprets their meaning. When the physical process of hearing is impaired, it affects academic, social, family and career life.
Audiologists are professionals who diagnose and treat hearing disorders, providing counseling and rehabilitation services to those who have hearing loss. Services include hearing testing for people of all ages, dispensing hearing aids and other assistive listening devices.
If you are experiencing speech or swallowing difficulties, tell your physician. You may be referred to a speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is trained to diagnose and treat these types of disorders. Martin Memorial’s highly trained speech-language pathologists use technologically advanced equipment in inpatient and outpatient settings to help enhance the lives of people affected by speech, language or swallowing disorders.
--Emily Franklin, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
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