Stroke! TBI (Traumatic brain injury)! Brain injuries! Why do we need speech therapy?

Your loved one just had a brain injury (e.g., stroke, TBI from a fall or a car accident) and you noticed something is different about how they talk, their memory, or even how they act when they encounter a problem. You are not sure what to do and you don't know how and whom to ask for help. If this resonants with you, I hope you find the following discussion helpful.

Stroke or any other brain injuries (e.g., TBI, brain cancer) can affect how a person functions in various aspects besides their physical abilities. For example, their speech may be unclear, they may have trouble forming sentences, or coming up with words. Their understanding of speech may be limited. People can also experience challenges in memory, planning, decision making, problem solving, visual processing difficulties, swallowing, voice, and social skills. Personality change or emotional difficulties are also not uncommon to see in people with history of brain injuries.

Sometimes it is not very clear what it is that we need help with especially while under tremendous amount of stress after the brain injury, but meeting with a speech language pathologist / speech therapist for a full assessment or a screening can be very beneficial. The speech therapist can conduct a medical history review, patient and care-partner interview, clinical observations, and direct assessments to determine a person's skills in communication, cognition, swallowing, voice, and even possible needs before returning to work.

I have met with patients or their families whose experience was that they were never referred to or even knew about speech therapy after the brain injuries. There were also times people did not realize they needed speech therapy because their "speech was fine." Brain injuries can cause difficulties that are not easily seen or understood by others, hence a thorough assessment by a speech therapist after any brain injury can be valuable.

So if the doctor has referred you or your loved one to speech therapy, take advantage of that. If you have not received a referral, reach out to your doctor for a referral or contact local speech therapy clinics for a consultation to determine needs of further assessments. Many private clinics also offer free consultations over the phone which can help you decide if you want to proceed with the assessment. Choosing a speech therapist that is skillful and knowledgable in treating your specific needs and match your chemistry are keys to a successful therapy relationship which plays a crucial role in a person's therapy progress. I always encourage my clients/patients and their support networks to participate in their goal setting and continuously discuss their progress and expectations in therapy. I always inform them that it would not hurt my feelings if they tell me it [our therapy relationship] isn't working out, and I can help refer them to other SLPs if needed. Our utmost goal is to help our clients progress not only in the specific skills they are working on, but also in their life participation which leads to a better quality of life.

In summary, seeking a speech therapy consultantion after a brain injury is highly recommended. Actively participating in your therapy goals and choosing the right therapist is all within your rights for you or your loved one to reach you/their ultimate potential in life.

If you want to know what a speech language pathologist does or how to find a speech therapist for your specific needs, our "What does a speech language pathologist do?" post may help answer some of your questions.

Here are more resources that you may find helpful after brain injuries:

• American Stroke Association - general information and resources after stroke

• National Aphasia Association - difficulties with communication

• Brain Injury Association of America - general information and resources after a brain injury

• National Library Service - a free library service for people who have visual and hearing difficulties

• Stroke Recovery foundation - general information and resources after stroke

• Right Hemisphere Brain Damage - right brain injuries

If you would like to learn more about speech therapy and our setting, you can call or text us at 818.823.8022 or email us at hello@thechatroomtherapy.com.

We provide virtual speech therapy visits/telehealth visits in California, and in home services in Montrose, La Crescenta, La Canada, and Pasadena, CA areas.

We also provide speech therapy in Mandarin Chinese. 中文/國語語言治療

Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP

Founder, The Chat Room Therapy

Vicki is a California licensed and American Speech Language and Hearing Association certified speech language pathologist. She has extensive experience with both adults and children, with particular specialties in gender affirming voice therapy, adult voice disorders, post stroke or head and neck cancer related voice, communication, cognitive, and swallow difficulties. 

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