FAQs

General

A speech-language pathologist is a licensed health care professional who diagnoses, evaluates, and treats disorders of speech, language, voice, fluency and swallowing.

Speech-language pathologists treat communication problems in infants, children, adolescents and adults with any of the following:  

  • Speech impairment, such as speech sounds, stuttering, slurred speech, or voice problems;
  • Speech or language affected by surgery, stroke, head injury, or neurological disease
  • Stuttering
  • Tongue thrust affecting speech or dental alignment
  • Voice problem: hoarseness, weak or loud voice, voice spasms or vocal fatigue 

 Qualified speech-language pathologists hold a national credential called the CCC-SLP which is granted by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). This stands for Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. This certification is required for those who work in 

Texas. A speech-language pathologist is legally required to hold a Texas State license. It is the minimum requirement to work in all settings, except schools and federal agencies.

Texas speech-language pathologists must display a current Texas registration certificate with their diplomas; this certificate lists the professional’s name, address, and dates of the registration period. Speech-language pathologists must reregister every two years to practice in Texas. 

Speech Pathology Services is credentialed as a provider for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Scott & White Health Plan.

Your physician will be contacted to provide a referral, and you will be asked to bring your health insurance card and co-pay.  We will file a claim based on your physician’s referral and accepted insurance codes. Payment or co-pays are due at the time of service

Speech and Language

 Language is the act of putting thoughts into words and then putting the words together to make a rational and intelligible word, phrase, sentence or story.  

A language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. For example, a child who almost always says, “this one” when trying to name specific objects may have a language problem.

Speech is the motor act of speaking: turning the language that we have come up with in our brains into sounds, words and sentences that someone else can understand. 

A speech disorder refers to a problem producing sounds, and varies according to the age of the child. For example, a child older than 5 years who says “wabbit” instead of “rabbit” has a speech problem.  Older children and adults who have difficulty producing any sound usually have speech disorders.

Speech and/or language disorders can be associated with:

  • Autism
  • Cerebral Palsy and other motor problems
  • Cleft Palate
  • Developmental and Language Delays
  • Hearing Loss
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries

Voice Therapy

Voice Therapy is intervention for a patient with a voice disorder, including:

  • Voice hygiene program
  • Information on reducing acid reflux
  • Correct breathing techniques
  • Exercises to strengthen the vocal muscles
  • Exercises to reduce vocal and neck tension
  • Supplemental home program for faster progress

 

Yes

A voice evaluation can be scheduled before or after seeing a physician.  However, as voice disorders can be caused by physiological and/or neurological conditions, a referral from an Ear Nose & Throat or other physician is required prior to initiating therapy. 

Stuttering

Stuttering is a speech and breathing coordination disorder.  A person’s flow of speech is interrupted by repetitions, prolongations, or abnormal stoppages of sounds and syllables. There may also be facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is sometimes referred to as stammering.

Stuttering usually starts between 2 and 6 years of age. Many children go through normal periods of disfluency lasting less than 6 months. Stuttering lasting longer than 6 months may need treatment.

Although there is no one cause for stuttering, causes can include:  

  • Genetics – Many people who stutter have at least one family member who also stutters.
  • Brain and breathing differences – People who stutter may have small differences in brain and breathing incoordination when speaking.

Although it is impossible to predict which children will stop stuttering, and those who will continue to stutter, the following factors may place them at risk for long-term stuttering:

  • Gender. Boys are more likely to continue stuttering than girls.  
  • Age when stuttering began. Children who start stuttering at age 3½ or later are more likely to continue stuttering.
  • Family recovery patterns. Children with family members who continued to stutter are more likely to continue.

We all have times when we say “uh” or “you know” when talking, or we repeat a sound or word more than once. These are normal disfluencies, or normal speech that doesn’t always flow easily. 

  • Adding a sound or word – “I um need to go home.”
  • Repeating whole words – “Maybe-maybe it’s okay.”
  • Repeating phrases – “He’s about–he’s about 4 years old.”
  • Changing the words in a sentence – “I had–I lost my tooth.”
  • Not finishing a thought – “His name is . . . I can’t remember.”

People who stutter have more frequent and different types of disfluencies.  Stuttering speech can sound like repeated or drawn-out words, struggling with no sound at all, and often with visible facial movements.

  • Prolonged repetitions – “Tha-thathat’s too bad!”
  • Prolonged syllable repetitions – “Ne-ne-ne-never go there.”
  • Prolonged sounds – “SSSSSSSam is a nice guy.”
  • Blocks or voice stops – “B………Bob……. Is….my friend.”

Unconscious body movements, like hand motions or eye blinking, may be observed during a prolonged stuttering “block”.  Feelings of frustration, tension, excitement, embarrassment, or teasing that brings attention to their speech can increase stuttering. Stuttering may cause a person to be embarrassed and make them feel nervous about talking.

When young children are learning a lot of words or new speech sounds, they often “get stuck” trying to say a word or repeat whole words. This is normal developmental disfluency. 

If the child’s face or body shows signs of struggling while being “stuck”, this is a sign of early stuttering.  When parents observe these signs, an appointment with a Speech Pathologist for a stuttering evaluation is recommended to determine if the issue is developmental or true stuttering.

  • Approximately 1% of the world’s population stutters.
  • The Universal stuttering ratio of adult males to females is 4:1.
  • Most stuttering is genetic, usually from male progenitors.
  • Stuttering is associated with brain differences.
  • 90% of stuttering twins are identical.
  • Stuttering has been observed and clinically studied in Zebra Finches.  
  • People who stutter:
    • are usually in the upper range of intelligence.
    • usually begin between 2-5 years of age.
    • are more likely to be ambidextrous than the general population.
  • People don’t stutter: 
    • when singing.
    • when speaking on inhalation.
    • when speaking in unison with others.
    • when hearing white noise over earphones. 
    • at the end of words.