Aphasia is a neurological disorder caused by damage to the portions of the brain that are responsible for language. There are many types and presentations of Aphasia, which can include difficulty expressing oneself when speaking, trouble understanding, and difficulty with reading and writing. These can occur together or in isolation. Speech can sound jumbled or muddled and a person can have difficulty joining in with a conversation. The type and severity of language dysfunction depends on the location and extent of the damaged brain tissue.

Your Speech Pathologist will complete an examination of your swallow whilst in clinic. An assessment will include asking you to eat and drink different types of fluids and food consistencies. They may palpate (using hands to feel the movement of your swallow) your swallow, use cervical auscultation (use of a stethoscope to listen) and some sometimes check your SpO2 (blood oxygen) levels as part of the comprehensive swallow assessment.

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder resulting from neurolgoical injury which affects the precision of your articulation. In other words, your speech and sounds can sound distorted and often slurred.  As part of your treatment, speech subsystems such as respiration, phonation, prosody, resonance and articulation will be targeted to improve the intelligibility and ‘naturalness’ of your speech. We will consider what the perceptual, speech and voice characterises are during assessment and what potential medical diagnosis is suggested by these characteristics.  Changes in speech can help localise changes in the nervous system. There are seven different types of Dysarthria.

You will receive a thorough assessment which will encompass your medical history and will perceptually identify you vocal characteristics. You will also be asked to under a laryngoscopy and / or stroboscopy via an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor to view your larynx (voice box and vocal folds). An ENT assessment is a vital first step when seeking out help for your voice disorder. It can identify structural changes and view the vocal fold mechanisms in real time. This means your voice therapy can be targeted all the more effectively.

You may have noticed that your voice has become quiet and hoarse. You may have noticed that you’re losing your voice at the end of the day. Your family, friends and/or colleagues may have begun asking you to repeat yourself. You may have even begun to disengage in conversation because it’s hard to be heard!

You have important things to say. We will help you be HEARD!

Accents are an enriching part of our linguistically and culturally diverse population. 

Accent modification is an elective service that clients may wish to undertake to change or modify their speech patterns. Accents of all diverse linguistic backgrounds should be celebrated. They often serve as a source of pride for individuals and frequently reflect the social, cultural, ethnic, and geographic background of a person; we all sound different to one another. However, there are times when speaking with a strong accent may impede effective and efficient communication. This can affect school, university, the work place, interviews and social interactions. 

We provide bespoke workshops and education solutions in the greater Sydney and Metropolitan Adelaide areas face to face or Australia Wide by telehealth. A common request is training on dysphagia and communication disorders. As seasoned online educators, academics and lecturers, we are well positioned to deliver and facilitate education aimed at all skill levels. See below an example.