Is an issue with your speech holding you back from expressing yourself?

Are you tired of people not taking you seriously because you have difficulty speaking clearly?

Did you or a loved one recently suffer from a traumatic brain injury, and suddenly face the idea of having to re-learn how to speak?

For these, and many other speech disorders, New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

As an adult speech therapy clinic in the Portland, Oregon area, New Horizons Wellness Services works with people just like you.

People who are perfectly intelligent – sometimes even brilliant – but who’ve had trouble in life due to a speech disorder.

People who struggle with intellectual disabilities, and have difficulty communicating as a result.

People who’ve suffered from a life-changing event, like a stroke or traumatic brain injury, and need to re-learn how to communicate.

And much more.

Whatever it is that’s causing your communication issues, New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

Read on to find out more about the various speech disorders you may encounter, and how a speech therapist at New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

Adult Speech Therapy For Articulation Disorders

Articulation disorders take a number of different forms. What they have in common is that they prevent you from making certain sounds properly.

In some cases, it’s when you distort certain words, like in a lisp – this is called a distortion error.

In other cases, you skip certain sounds in a word – like asking somebody to pay the piano. This is called an omission error.

You might also swap one sound out for another, like using a bar of thoap – in particular, thith bar of thoap – that’s a substitution error.

Finally, there are addition errors – where you add extra sounds to a word.

An easy way to remember this is the acronym SODA – Substitution, Omission, Distortion, Addition.

Regardless of what type of articulation disorder you’re facing, New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

Contact us today to find out how.

Adult Speech Therapy For Fluency Disorders

Often, when we talk about fluency, we’re talking about how well you can speak a language. You might say that your friend Sofia is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, for example, meaning she speaks each language well enough that she can hold a conversation with other speakers.

In the world of speech therapy, though, it’s a little different.

A fluency disorder affects the flow, speed, and rhythm of your speech. Some of the signs of a fluency disorder include:

Stuttering and cluttering are examples of fluency disorders.

If you’re dealing with a fluency disorder, it may hold you back from being able to properly communicate. This can lead to issues of self-esteem, and problems in interpersonal relationships and in your career.

However, a speech therapist from New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

Book an appointment today to find out how.

Adult Speech Therapy For Resonance Disorders

There are many different causes for speech disorders. In some cases, it’s a mental or emotional concern, while in others it’s a physical impairment.

In the case of resonance disorders, it’s the latter. A resonance disorder is when something is blocking or obstructing the regular airflow in either your nasal or your oral cavity. Because of this obstruction, it alters the way these cavities vibrate, which can change the quality of your voice.

Some of these disorders include:

Although it’s generally best to address these disorders at a young age, there are treatments available for people of all ages to help with resonance disorders.

Contact us at New Horizons Wellness Services today to find out more.

Adult Speech Therapy For Receptive Disorders

If you have a receptive disorder, it has less to do with what you’re actually saying, and more about how you’re receiving what other people are saying about a topic.

This may cause you to seem aloof or uninterested in what people are saying, but generally, the opposite is true. It isn’t that you aren’t interested; it’s that you’re having difficulty receiving the information being conveyed.

Those who live with a receptive disorder are often frustrated, since their difficulty in receiving information can lead to difficulties in one’s career or interpersonal relationships.

One simple reason for a receptive disorder may be hearing loss, but there are often more factors at play, such as autism spectrum disorders or head injuries.

The brain is better capable of learning languages before age 5, and for that reason it’s best to address receptive disorders at as early an age as possible. However, if you’re an adult who’s lived with a receptive disorder, there is hope.

Speech therapy can help you manage your receptive disorder, and help you better understand what the people in your life are saying.

Contact us today at New Horizons Wellness Services to find out how.

Adult Speech Therapy For Expressive Disorders

If you have an expressive disorder, you have trouble expressing the information in your mind. It may have to do with a neurological condition like Down syndrome. It may also be related to things like hearing loss, head trauma, a medical condition, or another situation in which your thoughts flow just fine, you just have trouble expressing them.

This may manifest itself in your having difficulty forming proper sentences or using the wrong verb tenses.

You might use words like “stuff” or “things” to refer to just about everything, even when the words are commonly used. Or you might use a word that’s only vaguely related, like wheel when you mean tire, or spoon when you mean fork. You may even make up new words entirely, or use sentences that don’t make any sense or place words out of order.

If you don’t relate to this, you can imagine how difficult it might be to manage on a day-to-day basis.

And if you do relate, you might be frustrated to the breaking point. But there is hope.

Contact New Horizons Wellness Services today to book an appointment, and find out how adult speech therapy for expressive disorders can help you.

Adult Occupational Therapy Treatments For Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Have you recently suffered an injury or a life-changing event that’s changed the way you communicate? Or, have you had difficulty with communication your entire life? If so, you may have a cognitive-communication disorder.

With a cognitive-communication disorder, you may experience any of the following:

The most common causes of cognitive-communication disorders are brain injuries and stroke, but it can also be caused by certain neurological conditions or abnormal brain development.

Regardless of the cause, however, speech therapy treatments at New Horizons Wellness Services can help.

Book an appointment to find out how.

Adult Speech Therapy For Aphasia

Of all speech disorders, aphasia just may be the most frustrating for those who deal with it. This is because in most cases of aphasia, despite your inability to properly communicate, your mind is still as sharp as it ever was. You have ideas, but you can’t express them. You often can’t understand others as well. In some cases, it may affect your ability to read and write.

Aphasia is an acquired disorder, which means it’s a disorder you develop later in life. This is as opposed to a congenital disorder, which you’re born with.

The most common causes of aphasia are a stroke, though it can be caused by other brain disorders.

Currently, in most cases, full recovery from aphasia is not possible. However, a speech therapist can still help you manage your disorder and significantly improve your ability to communicate.

Adult Speech Therapy For Dysarthria

Those with dysarthria struggle with slurred speech, but like with aphasia, it’s not a result of cognitive issues.

With dysarthria, it’s a result of a physical weakness in the muscles you use for speech. In some cases, it’s related to an inability or difficulty with controlling these muscles.

Often, it’s caused by nervous system disorders and conditions that cause facial paralysis or throat and tongue weakness.

These include:

Treatment for dysarthria often involves your medical doctor as well as your speech therapist. While your medical doctor works to uncover the underlying cause of your dysarthria and provide treatment for it, your speech therapist will work with you to help you continue to communicate.

Book an appointment to find out how.