WESTARM Therapy & Nursing of Lower Burrell, PA has begun offering Speech Therapy at their Lower Burrell and Cheswick facilities in addition to physical and occupational therapy already offered.
Speech Therapy is the treatment of speech defects and disorders, especially through use of exercises and audio-visual aids that develop new speech habits.
WESTARM experts in the profession of speech therapy work with children and adults whose speech interferes with communication, calls attention to itself, and frustrates both speaker and listener. Our speech therapists evaluate and correct defective speech and teach new speech skills.
Five main types of speech defects are treated:
- Articulation problems, such as the inability to produce certain sounds;
- Stammering, cluttering (rapid, slurred speech), and other fluency problems;
- Voice disorders, including problems of pitch, voice quality, and volume;
- Delayed speech, characterized by a child’s slow language development; and
- Aphasia, the partial or total loss of the ability to speak or understand language.
Some speech defects result from a physical condition, such as brain damage, cleft palate, a disease of the larynx, or partial or complete deafness. Other speech defects may be caused by a person’s environment. For example, a child who receives little encouragement to talk at home may not develop normal speech skills. Severe emotional problems, such as pressure to succeed or a lack of love can also lead to speech difficulties.
In many schools, speech therapists test students regularly for speech disorders. If students have a speech problem, they receive therapy at the school or they go to a speech clinic for treatment. Doctors, psychologists, and teachers can refer people with speech defects to WESTARM facilities.
WESTARM is a Medicare Certified Rehabilitation Agency that has been in business for over 27 years with eight (8) facilities throughout Southwestern PA and provides contracted services within many local school districts.