To schedule an evaluation, you will need to fill out the adult case history form (cerebral impairment case history for brain-injured patients) and intake forms and either fax, mail, email, or drop off forms in person at the clinic. After we receive your paperwork, you will receive a call to schedule the evaluation. Please note: we schedule evaluations in September, October, November, February, March, April, May and some dates in June and July.
The evaluation will generally take about one hour. The therapist will evaluate communication needs and abilities.
Bring all medical information and equipment including:
Be prepared to share:
Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain related to speaking. People with apraxia of speech have trouble sequencing the sounds in syllables and words. The severity depends on the nature of the brain damage.
People with apraxia of speech know what words they want to say, but their brains have difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words.
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder. The muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all after a stroke or other brain injury. The type and severity of dysarthria depend on which area of the nervous system is affected.
A person with dysarthria may experience any of the following symptoms, depending on the extent and location of damage to the nervous system:
Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called "disfluencies."
Vocal nodules and polyps and vocal cord paralysis can cause a hoarse or breathy voice and limit one's ability to speak loudly. Prolongation of voicing may be limited to short bursts. Paralysis can also cause swallowing problems.
Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to the parts of the brain that contain language. Aphasia causes problems with any or all of the following:
Aphasia may be mild or severe. The severity of communication difficulties depends on the amount and location of the damage to the brain.
Dementia is a group of symptoms related to memory loss and overall cognitive impairment. Most types of dementia continue to worsen and are usually irreversible. People with dementia often need help taking care of themselves. They may have difficulty communicating with others. Everyday activities such as grooming, preparing meals and driving may become difficult.
Stroke can cause paralysis or muscle weakness, loss of feeling, speech and language problems, memory and reasoning problems, swallowing difficulties, problems of vision and visual perception, coma and even death.
People with a brain injury often have cognitive (thinking) and communication problems that significantly impair their ability to live independently. These problems vary depending on how widespread brain damage is and the location of the injury.
Brain injury survivors may have trouble finding the words they need to express an idea or explain themselves through speaking and/or writing. It may be an effort for them to understand both written and spoken messages. They may have difficulty with spelling, writing and reading, as well.