Speech Therapy
You want the best in speech therapy, close to home. We're with you! MaineGeneral Medical Center's Speech Therapy Department provides a range of comprehensive services to help you regain quality of life and health. These services include evaluation and treatment of:
- Communication disorders
- Motor speech disorders
- Swallowing disorders
- Cognitive disorders
- Voice disorders
We also provide laryngectomy rehabilitation and augmentative communication training.
We serve children at our Edmund N. Ervin Pediatric Center.
Specialized Speech Therapy Services
MaineGeneral Medical Center's licensed speech therapists specialize in several service areas, including:
- Modified barium swallow studies (MBSS)
- VitalStim®
- Deep pharyngeal neuromuscular stimulation (DPNS)
- Head and neck cancer
- Lee Silverman Voice Treatment® (LSVT) for Parkinson's Disease
- Digital laryngeal stroboscopy
- Myofascial release
Staff
If your health care provider has recommended speech therapy, you will be in caring, capable hands at MaineGeneral. Our speech therapists are highly experienced and expertly trained in diagnosing, treating and managing many types of speech problems.
They are certified in various treatment techniques and each has a Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Voice Disorders
Causes of voice problems may include upper respiratory infections, acid reflux, vocal misuse or abuse, excessive voice use, vocal nodules, laryngeal cancer and neuromuscular diseases.
Have you had any of the following symptoms?
- Limited ability to speak for extended periods of time
- Inability to project your voice
- Periods of voice loss
- Hoarseness
- Chronic dry or scratchy throat
- Unpleasant pitch or tone
If you experience vocal change or hoarseness for more than two weeks, you should be examined by a physician, preferably an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat).
Following an examination, the otolaryngologist may refer you to a speech-language pathologist who will evaluate pitch, loudness and vocal quality and assess vocal techniques.
Digital Laryngeal Stroboscopy
If you are diagnosed with a voice disorder, MaineGeneral's Speech Therapy Department may recommend digital laryngeal stroboscopy to help evaluate and treat your issues.
The office-based procedure involves looking at the anatomy of your larynx and providing detailed views of how it functions.
Using the results of this test, the therapist will plan effective, individualized treatment to improve your ability to talk and communicate with the world around you.
If you have a voice disorder and think you may benefit from this procedure, please talk with your primary care provider and ask for a referral as appropriate. The Speech Therapy staff strongly recommends that you see an ENT specialist before your speech therapy appointment.
About the Procedure
Digital laryngeal stroboscopy enables the speech therapist to look at how your larynx works — in what appears to be slow motion — while you produce voice.
The procedure is done with either a rigid or flexible scope. Our staff tries to do at least part of the exam with a rigid scope as it offers the highest-quality image. Use of the flexible scope is based on your needs and symptoms.
After the exam, still images and video clips are sent to your ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist and primary care provider for review.
Procedure Locations
Initial evaluations are done at the Thayer Center for Health in Waterville. Follow up sessions can be done either in Waterville (Thayer Center for Health) or Augusta (MaineGeneral Musculoskeletal Center, 15 Enterprise Drive).
