Speech, Language & Swallowing Therapy
If you have difficulty with communication (voice, language or speech) or cognition (thinking abilities such as remembering or processing information), or if you are having trouble swallowing, the speech-language pathologists (SLPs) at Burke Rehabilitation can help you achieve a better quality of life.
Inpatient & Outpatient Therapy
Access care in the setting that meets your needs:
- Inpatient rehabilitation – Get intensive multidisciplinary therapy and skilled medical care during your stay at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, New York.
- Outpatient rehabilitation – Live at home and visit a Burke location near you for regular speech and language therapy appointments.
The Burke Difference
Burke therapists treat patients one-on-one, putting you at the center of care. You receive holistic care from a therapist entirely devoted to your individual needs during your treatment time. All Burke therapists hold advanced degrees.
Our Locations
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital is centrally located in White Plains, NY. Our network of outpatient locations serving the Tri-State area makes it easy to access care near your home, work or school.
Conditions We Treat
Speech or swallowing therapy can help you if you are experiencing or have had:
- Aphasia (a language disorder due to stroke or brain injury)
- Apraxia of Speech (trouble using voice muscles to make the right sounds)
- Dysarthria (weakness or discoordination of the speech muscles)
- Dysphagia (trouble swallowing)
- Dysphonia (a voice disorder)
- Neurodegenerative movement problems (such as Parkinson’s or ALS)
- Cognitive impairment (due to traumatic brain injury or disease)
Qualifications of an SLP
Speech-language pathologists (“speech therapists”) must have a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or communication sciences, and may also have specialized certifications in treating one or more conditions. Speech therapists who work at Burke are highly trained and often collaborate with other health professionals such as occupational and physical therapists, social workers and neuropsychologists, to help you achieve the best outcomes.
Your Evaluation
All new patients receive an evaluation before beginning treatment in order to provide personalized care. The evaluation will include:
- Your medical history and specific communication needs
- Informal assessment of your conversational speech
- Standardized tests of communication and thinking skills
- Clinical or instrumental swallowing assessment (if needed)
Outpatient Speech Therapy
After a thorough evaluation, we’ll work with you to set your goals. Your speech therapist will treat you one-on-one, typically twice a week in 45-minute sessions. You will get home exercises that you can do on your own or with help from a loved one. We’ll assess your progress to make sure you’re achieving your goals.
Family training and referrals to other resources may be provided to you and your loved ones so you can continue your recovery when formal speech therapy ends.
Burke offers some specialized outpatient speech and language programs:
LSVT LOUD Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
If you have Parkinson’s disease, you may benefit from Lee Silverman Voice Treatment.
Speech Therapy vs. Occupational Therapy
Depending on your needs, you may work on thinking skills with both an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. Occupational therapy focuses on using thinking skills to do everyday tasks. Speech therapy focuses on thinking skills that help you process and remember what you read and hear, improve your written and verbal word-finding, and solve problems in an organized manner. These are referred to as “executive functions.” You may receive care from one or both professionals to achieve your goals.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback shows whether you make the right muscle movements in your mouth or throat when speaking or swallowing. Your therapist places small, sticky electrode patches on your skin. These patches send information about your muscles’ activity to a screen that you watch. You’ll see when you need to adjust your technique to speak, eat or drink more easily.
Speech therapists recommend a number of treatment sessions based upon their clinical expertise, not upon patients’ ability to pay.
Discharge from Outpatient Therapy
A speech therapist may recommend discharge for a variety of reasons. You may have achieved your goals, or you may be well enough to continue working independently. Sometimes patients have not yet achieved their goals and may benefit from some “time off” to continue healing.
When you are discharged we may refer you to local resources, including:
- College or university speech clinics, where professionally-supervised graduate students provide speech therapy for members of the community
- Support groups for patients and families
- Private speech therapists
- Research studies, if available
- Social workers who can connect you with additional community resources
- Counseling services for help adjusting to changes in your health and life
Inpatient Speech Therapy
Your doctor, social worker, or another medical professional may refer you to Burke Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive inpatient therapy. If you’re taking part in our inpatient program, you may receive speech therapy multiple times each week in our beautiful, modern hospital as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program that also includes physical and occupational therapy.
Inpatient Services
Get comprehensive care for:
Leaving the Hospital
Most patients go home after discharge. View our outcomes report. Your doctor may recommend you:
- Return home with in-home therapy
- Return home and begin outpatient rehabilitation
- Transition to another facility for ongoing care
Insurance Coverage
Many insurance plans cover speech and language therapy services. See a list of insurance plans that we participate with and talk to your insurance provider about your care coverage.
