OutpatientSpeech Language Pathology Rehabilitation Services
AAMC’s Outpatient Speech Language Pathology Services, housed in the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, provides care for both children and adults. Our therapy team is comprised of speech language pathologists who specialize in neurological rehabilitation, voice and swallowing impairments, head and neck cancer, and pediatric speech and language delays and disorders.
Neuro-Rehabilitation Services
Serving patients with diagnoses of:
- Stroke
- Head injury
- Parkinson’s
- Brain tumors
- Multiple Sclerosis
- ALS
- Primary Progressive Aphasia
Persons presenting with these impairments may present with disorders of speech (dysarthria), disorders of language (aphasia), disorders of memory/thinking (cognitive-linguistic impairments), disorders of voice (dysphonia), and/or disorders of swallowing (dysphagia).
We provide comprehensive evaluations and individualized treatments for all of our patients, and treat them in conjunction with our outpatient physical and occupational therapists as needed.
Head and Neck Cancer Services
Serving patients with diagnoses of cancer of the:
- Face
- Jaw
- Tongue
- Throat
Persons presenting with this diagnosis may present with reduced jaw opening (trismus), impaired speech pronunciation (dysarthria), impaired voice quality (dysphonia), and/or impaired swallowing (dysphagia).
As with all of our services, we provide comprehensive evaluations and individualized treatments to address any of these concerns. Our clinicians stay in close consultation with our radiation oncologists in the DeCesaris Cancer Institute and our local ENTs.
Voice Services
Serving patients with:
- Singer’s Nodes
- Paradoxical Vocal Cord Disorder/Vocal Cord Dysfunction
- Irritable Larynx Syndrome
- Chronic damage from acid reflux disease
- Weak voice/low volume
- Parkinson’s Disease—LSVT certified clinicians
- Vocal Cord Paralysis
- Throat Cancer
Persons presenting with these diagnoses often have complaints of impaired vocal quality, pitch, strength, and volume. They also frequently experience vocal fatigue.
Our SLPs analyze each patient’s voice as well as lifestyle factors contributing to the voice disorder, and provide an individualized treatment plan using biofeedback, compensatory strategies, and vocal exercises to restore/enhance the client’s voice.
Swallowing Services
Serving patients with impaired oral and pharyngeal swallowing impairments (dysphagia). Likely contributing diagnoses are neurological disorders and head/neck cancer. These individuals often present with:
- Difficulty chewing
- Feeling that food is stuck in the throat
- Coughing/choking when eating or drinking
- Experiencing increased throat clearing, wetness of voice, or runny nose when eating or drinking
- Unexplained weight loss
We generally schedule these clients for Modified Barium Swallows to determine the nature of the swallowing disorder. We then teach them to perform specific exercises to help improve swallow function, and also special strategies to use to make their swallow as safe as possible. We may refer to dieticians to ensure that each patient can maintain adequate nutrition and hydration, despite their unique impairment.
Pediatric Services
Serving children with impaired or delayed speech or language due to:
- Chronic ear infections
- Premature birth
- Language learning disabilities
- Tongue thrust
- Stuttering
- Vocal nodules
- Developmental disabilities/delays
The Outpatient Rehabilitation center features a special room where we treat our pediatric clients. This room is child-friendly, with a large two way mirror so that therapists can work individually with children while parents observe from the next room. This helps parents learn how to reinforce treatment strategies at home for maximum benefit.
For more information, our therapists suggest:
American Speech and Hearing Association
http://www.ahsa.org
Maryland Speech, Language, and Hearing Association
http://www.mdslha.org
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice