In May we celebrate and recognize our Speech and Language Pathologists with Better Hearing and Speech Month. The month of May is dedicated to creating awareness about communication, cognitive -communicative and swallowing disorders and available treatment options for individuals. At Upland Hills Health, we have 3 amazing Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP) including Morgan Enright, Wendy Marr-Smith and Krisann Karls, who work to improve the quality of life for those who have communication, cognitive and swallowing impairment.
According to ASHA, American Speech-Hearing-Language Association, speech disorders occur when a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has a problem with their voice or resonance. Language disorders occur when a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language) or sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings (expressive language). Cognitive-Communication disorders is defined as: difficulty with any aspect of communication that is affected by the disruption of cognition (attention, memory, organization, problem solving/reasoning, and executive functions). Swallowing disorders (dysphagia) is any swallowing problem related to the oral cavity, pharyngeal cavity and/or the esophagus.
Our speech and language therapists at Upland Hills Health are incredibly diverse, providing services to individuals in the following settings: schools, Birth to Three, inpatient, outpatient, Skilled Nursing Facilities and home health. A few examples of what our therapists provide include voice programs for people with Parkinson’s Disease, assisting adults with head and neck cancer rehabilitate their swallowing, develop augmentative/alternative methods of communication, help people with cognitive-communication difficulties after a neurological event such as a stroke/head injury, assessing swallowing function through modified barium swallow studies, and help young students communicate and interact with their families.
