Our areas of work
Communication difficulties
Augmentative and alternative communication
Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties
Communication difficulties
People communicate in lots of different ways. As a result, there are different ways that people have difficulties. People with physical disability sometimes have difficulties with
- Pronouncing sounds and words
- Using or understanding language, including grammatical structures, vocabulary and processing complex information.
- Controlling the muscles of the face and mouth, which can result in drooling
- Developing social communication skills such as using eye contact, taking turns in speaking and understanding the rules of conversation
- Producing speech that is smooth and fluent (without stuttering)
- Producing voice of good speaking volume and quality (that is not breathy, hoarse or very low)
Augmentative and alternative communication
If you have difficulty communicating by speech alone, you may need to use other ways to communicate. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is the term used to describe these other ways of communicating. AAC is used alongside your natural communication skills and might include using signing, gesture, symbols, or specialised computers to speak your message for you. Our Speech and Language Therapists provide expert assessment and help to enable you to communicate as well as you can.
Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties
Some babies, children and adults with physical disabilities have difficulty with eating, drinking and swallowing. These difficulties include
- Being unable to move their mouths and throats to chew properly
- Having difficulty managing utensils during eating
These difficulties can affect their health, nutrition and safety. If you are having these kind of difficulties, we will work with Occupational Therapy, Nutrition and Dietetics and the Medical neuro-disability team services to find out what makes eating, drinking and swallowing difficult for you. We work with you and your family as a team to find ways to make eating and drinking safe.