Speech, Language & Cognitive Therapy
Expert Evaluation and Treatment for All Ages
At Exeter Hospital, our Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide expert evaluation and treatment for children and adults with communication, cognitive and swallowing disorders. Our goal is to help patients regain independence, optimize function, and achieve personal, social, and academic success.
Types of Therapies We Offer
Our therapists assess and treat deficits in multiple areas of language:
- Expressive Language: Ability to express thoughts and ideas
- Receptive Language: Ability to understand others
- Reading: Reading comprehension skills
- Writing: Written expression
We also address factors that affect communication, including:
- Voice Disorders: Hyperfunctional voice disorders, vocal fold paralysis, spasmodic dysphonia, paradoxical vocal fold motion and pre/post-laryngectomy care
- Speech Intelligibility: Dysarthria, ataxic dysarthria, flaccid dysarthria and stuttering
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, can occur in children and adults due to stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, aging or other conditions. Treatments include:
VitalStim Therapy
At Exeter Hospital, VitalStim Therapy is used to treat dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) in both children and adults. This FDA-approved treatment applies neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the muscles involved in swallowing, helping strengthen and coordinate their function. VitalStim can improve safety and efficiency during swallowing, reduce the risk of aspiration and enhance overall quality of life.
Our Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate each patient to determine if VitalStim Therapy is appropriate and develop a personalized treatment plan to meet individual needs.
Modified Barium Swallow
A Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) allows your Speech-Language Pathologist to see how your mouth and throat function during swallowing. The Speech-Language Pathologist looks for issues such as food or liquid entering the airway (aspiration), which foods are safest to eat, and whether specific parts of the mouth or throat are not working effectively. The study can also identify positions or strategies that may improve swallowing.
During the test, you will sit or stand next to an X-ray machine and swallow different foods and liquids — ranging from soft and hard foods to thin and thick liquids — mixed with barium so the X-ray can visualize the process. The X-ray is only active while swallowing, minimizing radiation exposure.
Your Speech-Language Pathologist will review the results and develop a personalized treatment plan. This may include swallowing therapy, recommended food textures, and safe eating positions to improve swallowing safety and efficiency.
Voice therapy is designed to help patients achieve their best possible voice while compensating for any limitations caused by disease or injury. Treatment typically includes:
- Education: Understanding normal voice production and anatomy
- Voice Hygiene: Healthy habits to protect your voice, including hydration, avoiding irritants and proper vocal use
- Guided Exercises: Individualized exercises to improve breathing, phonation, pitch, loudness and overall voice quality
