Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), also called speech therapists or speech pathologists, are professionals who evaluate, diagnose and treat speech, language, voice, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages.

At Wake Forest Baptist Health, our dedicated speech-language pathologists work with patients from pediatrics through geriatrics to offer expert, patient-centered care in both the inpatient and the outpatient setting.

Speech-Language Pathology Services

Every member of our speech-language pathology team holds specialty certification from the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association – which translates into the highest quality care available for you.

Whether you have difficulty speaking, eating, understanding others, or have had a surgical procedure that has altered your ability to communicate, our speech-language pathologists have the expertise to help.

Conditions we treat include:

• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Cognitive deficits in memory, attention, organization, problem-solving, reasoning, orientation and executive function
• Motor speech disorders (dysarthria, apraxia)
• Dysfluency (stuttering)
• Aphasia
• Voice changes or loss
• Vocal injury
• Inability to communicate via speaking, writing or signing
• Cleft lip or palate
• Benign vocal cord lesions
• Dysphonia
• Vocal cord paresis or paralysis
• Vocal cord dysfunction
• Irritable larynx syndrome (chronic cough or throat clearing)
• Cochlear implants

We work closely with colleagues in other specialties to offer therapeutic treatment for patients with ALS and multiple sclerosis.

Once you have received a diagnosis, we work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan so that you can resume daily activities and have a positive quality of life.

Our speech-language pathology treatment services include:

• Swallowing therapy
• Speech, language and cognitive-linguistic therapy
• Voice therapy
• Rehabilitation after laryngectomy
• Rehabilitation after tracheostomy
• Rehabilitation after brain injury
• Alternative & augmentative communication (AAC)

Pediatric Expertise

We also have speech-language pathologists who specialize in evaluating and treating children with all types of swallowing, speech and language disorders.

Learn more about the pediatric speech-language pathology team at Brenner Children's Hospital.

The Difference Between Language and Speech

Language is a socially shared set of rules for what words mean and how they can be used. People with language disorders have trouble understanding others or expressing themselves to others. Language includes reception, understanding others, and sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings with others.

Speech is a verbal means of communication that uses a person's language. People with speech disorders have trouble producing speech for expression, including articulation (how sounds are made with use of the lips, tongue and teeth movement), voice (how sounds are made with use of vocal folds and breath), and fluency (the rhythm of speech) that may result in stuttering, or starting and stopping speech.