Speech Therapy

An extensive rehabilitation program focused on addressing communication disorders impacting the quality of life

As part of Southwest General’s Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Department, the Speech and Language Therapy Program is designed to help patients of all ages recover or improve speech, swallowing and cognitive function after illness, injury or surgery.

State-of-the-Art Speech, Cognitive and Swallowing Rehabilitation

The Speech Therapy Program at Southwest General acknowledges the profound effects communication and swallowing disorders can have on a patient’s social interaction, interpersonal relationships, independence and health.

To address these concerns, our skilled therapists and speech pathologists use the latest advances in treatment to achieve outcomes that will help a patient reach his or her full potential.

Comprehensive Therapy to Address a Variety of Conditions

Speech, language and swallowing disorders require specialized approaches to acquire or re-learn functions affected as a result of illness (including stroke), injury or developmental delay. The treatments we provide focus on:

• Communication retraining for aphasia, dysarthria, dysphonia or head/neck trauma
• Cognitive retraining
• Augmentative communication devices
• Trach weaning protocols/Passy–Muir speaking valves
• Swallow/dysphagia evaluation and treatment
• Instrumental swallow assessment (videofluoroscopy)
• Post-laryngectomy communication options

Treatment Focused on Individualized Therapy

Each patient presents a unique set of conditions that require a collaborative effort to help assure the best outcomes possible. For each patient, our speech pathologists and therapists include the following components to develop a program tailored to address their specific needs:

• Patient evaluation to determine the extent of their limitations
• Needs assessment to determine what treatments will work best
• A customized treatment plan that is expressly tailored to an individual’s needs

Committed to Successful Outcomes

To maximize the potential for successful outcomes, our program utilizes a multidisciplinary team that is well versed in providing services to address speech and cognitive processes. These include skills and expertise in the following areas:

• Apraxia of speech
• Auditory processing disorders
• Augmentative communication
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Down syndrome
• Early intervention
• Feeding and swallowing disorders
• Fluency disorders (stuttering)
• Hearing loss and deafness
• Orofacial myofunctional disorders
• Pediatric rehabilitation
• Resonance
• Voice

For our pediatric patients, early intervention is essential to success. In most cases, our speech-language pathologists are able to determine what problems a child will “grow out of” and what problems will require treatment.

We Look Forward to Helping You

To access our outpatient speech therapy program, a physician order is required for all services. The outpatient program is provided at Lifeworks of Southwest General,a fitness facility that offers free, surface-level parking and other family-friendly services including fitness memberships and childcare. It is located at:

LifeWorks of Southwest General
7390 Old Oak Blvd.
Middleburg Heights, OH 44130

To learn more about our Speech and Language Therapy Program, or to schedule a new patient appointment, call 833-SW-REHAB (833-797-3422).