At Street Simple Therapy, we specialize in helping both children and adults improve their communication abilities. Our skilled speech-language pathologists provide accent modification therapy Dayton OH, articulate speech therapy, and many other services to assist people in effectively conveying their thoughts, ideas, and needs.
What is Accent Modification Therapy?
Accent modification therapy is designed to help non-native English speakers improve their pronunciation and be better understood. People with heavy regional or foreign accents often struggle to make themselves understood or feel self-conscious about how they sound when communicating in English. Our accent modification therapy Dayton OH sessions focus on adjusting vowel/consonant pronunciation, stress/rhythm patterns, intonation, and overall clarity of speech.
We conduct a full assessment to identify areas for improvement, then develop a customized therapy plan targeting the most crucial accent issues for that individual. Exercises may include:
- Minimal pair practice involves distinguishing between words that sound alike but have different meanings (bit/beat, pool/pull, etc.).
- Tongue twisters & alliteration – excelling in pronunciation of tricky consonant combinations
- Recording comparisons – monitoring progress by listening to recordings over time
- Role-playing & conversational practice – applying new speech patterns to real-world situations.
Research shows that targeted interventions can help people speak English more clearly and reduce miscommunications. Our supportive speech-language pathologists guide clients step-by-step through practical pronunciation adjustments that make their speech easier for native English speakers to grasp.
Articulation Speech Therapy for Children & Adults
Another specialty service we provide is articulation speech therapy for both pediatric and adult clients. Articulation refers to the clarity or precision of speech sounds. Articulation disorders occur when a person produces sounds incorrectly or inconsistently. This may involve:
- Distorting sounds – changing how a sound is typically produced
- Substituting sounds – saying one sound in place of another
- Omitting sounds – leaving sounds out of words
- Adding, repeating, or prolonging sounds
Common articulation errors can include:
- Lisp (distorting sibilant /s/, /z/, etc.).
- Frontal lisping (replacing /s/ with /th/).
- Gliding (turning /r/ into /w/).
- Weak pressure behind consonants.
Articulation therapy helps stabilize the production of tricky sounds so they can be said correctly within words, phrases, and sentences. Sessions focus intensely on target sounds utilizing:
- Oral-motor exercises to improve muscle control
- Auditory training and sound discrimination
- Mirror practice & visual biofeedback
- Minimal pairs, flashcards & articulation songs/stories
- Conversation coaching & speech adjustment tips
We also evaluate oral-mechanism structure and function to identify any constraints conditioning poor speech sound production. If structural factors in the lips, tongue, teeth, etc., underlie articulation challenges, we can provide orofacial myofunctional therapy to address weakness, restricted mobility, abnormal swallowing, or other myofunctional disorders, facilitating clearer speech.
Adult Speech Therapy Services
While pediatric speech therapy for stuttering, language delay, or articulation gets more limelight, adult communication and swallowing services are a major component of our practice. Adults often develop speech-language cognition issues from:
- Neurological conditions – e.g., stroke, brain injury, dementia, Parkinson’s disease
- Head/neck cancer treatment – surgery, chemo, and radiation side effects
- Progressive illnesses affecting muscle control – ALS, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy
We help adults regain speech, language and swallowing abilities disrupted by medical diagnoses and procedures. Our adult speech therapy services include:
Aphasia Rehabilitation After Stroke/Injury
Aphasia is the impairment of language ability occurring after a stroke, head trauma, tumor, or other brain injury affecting the language-dominant side of the brain. It hampers expression through speaking, writing, gesturing, and comprehension of messages from others.
Our certified speech-language pathologists design tailored interventions to help clients recover language. We target verbal expression, auditory processing, reading/writing, and methods for conveying basic wants and needs when the ability to speak is compromised. Therapy often utilizes apps, videos, images, role-play, writing tasks, and speech repetition exercises to activate and strengthen language pathways.
With consistent, patient-driven therapy, people can regain substantial function even in chronic aphasia. We adjust treatment intensity and difficulty to suit each client’s unique neuroplastic recovery curve. Significant improvement is achievable when clients feel empowered, hopeful, and supported through the rehabilitation process.
Cognitive-Communication Therapy for Dementia, TBI
Cognitive impairments from conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury affect awareness, attention, memory, reasoning, and information processing speed. This hampers a person’s ability to communicate. Our pathologists design compensatory strategies addressing altered cognitive-linguistic skills.
Treatment activities stimulate orientation, word-finding ability, conversational engagement, and practical communication technique adjustments for daily interactions. We educate families on realistic expectations and how to facilitate independence while avoiding frustration. Support groups provide solidarity. The goal is maintaining relationships, dignity, safety, and a reasonable quality of life despite progressive or permanent cognitive losses.
Voice Therapy for Vocal Cord Dysfunction
Laryngectomee rehabilitation helps people use alternative voicing methods after losing vocal fold function due to cancer treatment or other damage. We also treat muscle tension dysphonia, which is strained/imbalanced vocal fold vibration that causes hoarse, raspy voice quality. Specialized voice therapy retrains efficient use and control of remaining phonatory structures.
Treatment regimens combine vocal function exercises with relaxation training to relieve excessive muscle tension interfering with optimal voicing. We also provide essential education on vocal health, hydration, the effects of irritants/reflux, and safe voicing techniques to prevent secondary injury. Custom home programs give clients ownership through consistent practice.
Many common voice disorders respond extremely well to non-surgical interventions when caught early and correctly addressed. For refractory cases, we exhaust conservative rehabilitation pathways before considering surgical options. Even then, postsurgical voice therapy facilitates optimal surgical benefit and functional voice restoration.
Dysphagia Therapy for Swallowing Difficulty
Dysphagia, or disordered swallowing, is a prevalent issue among stroke, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and special needs populations. We assess oral motor function, saliva management, nutritional status, and airway protection integrity when swallowing thin liquids or solid foods.
Treatment focuses on postural adjustments, sensory stimulation, oral & pharyngeal muscle strengthening, and compensation strategy training to maximize safe nutritional intake despite anatomical deficits. Dysphagia can manifest in aspiration pneumonia due to food/liquid entering the airway. So, we ensure clients remain properly hydrated and nourished while preventing this hazardous outcome.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Solutions
Some patients are unable to meet their daily communication needs through natural speech alone. This greatly threatens their autonomy, role fulfillment, and mood. Our speech-language pathologists, who specialize in augmentative/alternative communication, assess clients’ physical, language, sensory, and cognitive skills to determine the most practical AAC system for their profile.
AAC devices synthesize speech and supplement or replace vocal communication. Options include:
- Speech-generating devices/apps are portable tablets or electronic aids operated through touch, switches, etc., to play pre-recorded messages addressing recurring needs.
- Picture/letter boards are low-tech communication displays with icons, words, etc. that clients reference to compose messages by pointing or blinking sequences.
- Sign language – uses gestures rather than voice to share information visually.
We offer device recommendations, modeling, and trials to identify optimal AAC technologies. Importantly, we coach surrounding support staff on incorporating aids into natural interaction strategies that empower the user as an equal communication partner—not just a recipient needing constant caretaking.
At Street Simple Therapy in Dayton, OH, these are just a sample of the many speech, language, fluency, and swallowing disorders our seasoned clinicians address. We coordinate with medical specialists, families, and schools to maximize every client’s function and continually enhance their communication competence. To learn more about our pediatric and adult speech pathology services, contact us today online at https://streetsimpletherapy.com/ or call (937) 343-7433.
