Southlake is a small city in Texas about 30 minutes north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It has surprisingly good medical facilities, including speech therapy clinics. Speech therapy in Southlake works with individuals to help them overcome their speech problems. Speech therapy involves:

Treating Voice Defects

Voice disorders can be caused by many things, such as smoking, vocal abuse, and voice overuse. If you feel that you may have a voice disorder or your speech is affected by your voice, then Southlake speech therapists can help. Common problems associated with the voice include:

• Weak Voice
• Hoarseness
• Breathy Voice
• Throat Clearing
• Voice Cracking
• Whispering Voice
• Vowel Deviations (such as Monotone)
• Lisping

Treating Speech Impediments

Speech impediments are defined as problems that cause speaking difficulties, including articulation errors, dysarthria, apraxia, and language disorders. Any of these problems can make it difficult to talk clearly, affecting the way others perceive you. Common impediments include:

• Stuttering or Stammering
• Cluttering or Slurred Speech
• Problems with Articulation

Articulation problems such as these can cause difficulties with making certain sounds. For example, saying “s” for “th” or having difficulty with producing the sound of “sh.” Speech therapists can treat articulation deficits by working on oral musculature and using exercises and drills.

Language Disorders

These disorders can make it difficult to understand and use language, affecting your ability to communicate with others, especially in a work environment. Common Language Disorders include:

• Expressive Language Disorder (where an individual has problems expressing themselves)
• Receptive Language Disorder (where an individual has problems understanding language)
• Nonverbal Learning Disorder (where an individual has trouble with facial expressions and gestures which can make them appear uninterested or bored in a conversation with others)

Treating Cognitive-Communication Disorders

Cognitive communication disorders are caused due to an impairment of the brain’s ability to send or receive information which can cause problems in language, memory, verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, and attention. A Southlake speech therapist can help treat these types of speech problems. Cognitive communication disorders that speech therapy may be able to help include

• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Stroke
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Aphasia (a type of brain injury that affects the ability to produce and comprehend language)

Treating Dysphagia and Swallowing Disorders

Dysphagia is when there is difficulty swallowing which can cause choking, coughing, and gagging after, during, or before eating. Swallowing disorders are mainly caused by problems with the muscles used to swallow, which speech therapists can treat through different exercises. Dysphagia and swallowing disorders that speech therapy may help with are:

• Cleft Palate
• Laryngectomy (the removal of the larynx)
• Neurological Disorders
• Esophageal Reflux
• Laryngeal Cancer
• Hiatal Hernia (a condition where part of the stomach moves up into the chest through a hole in the diaphragm)

Treating Speech Sound Disorders

Speech sound disorders are caused by how an individual makes or uses speech sounds. Speech sound disorders can also be referred to as articulation problems and include:

• Developmental Articulation Disorder (where a child has difficulty pronouncing sounds)
• Phonological Disorder (a problem with the sequencing of sounds in words)
• Cluster Reduction(where a child has difficulty saying several sounds together in a word)

Several types of speech disorders can affect the way others perceive you. If you or your child suffer from any of these conditions, then speech therapy in Mexico may be able to help.