Surviving Injury

for using adaptive equipment for personal care, reducing environmental barriers, and providing resources to reduce stress. When a skill or ability cannot be improved through standard therapy, an occupational therapist uses creative alternatives to foster independence. Speech Therapy Speech therapy (ST or SLT) is the third skilled intervention of the three most widely offered rehabilitation

Speech therapy also addresses issues with swallowing.

treatments, along with physical therapy and occupational therapy. Just as its name implies, speech therapy aids in a victim and survivor’s ability to communicate through speech and language. What many people do not know is that speech therapy also addresses issues with swallowing.

When a victim and survivor meets with a speech language pathologist for the first time, it is likely that he or she will be evaluated with written and oral tests for assessment purposes. Speech-language therapists may also use special instruments to diagnose and analyze specific disorders. From these test results they develop a plan of care tailored to the victim and survivor’s individual needs. Speech-language problems can be a

Speech therapists can work to teach alternative communication methods.

result of a variety of causes, including but not limited to traumatic brain injury and stroke. Victims and survivors may have difficulty speaking, understanding language, or hearing, or they may have difficulty processing information due to cognitive impairments. Whatever the issue, a speech- language therapist works with victims and

survivors by teaching alternative communication methods; helping develop or recover communication skills or assisting them with swallowing disorders. Recreational Therapy Another type of rehabilitative therapy is recreational therapy, or TR for therapeutic recreation. Recreational therapy is designed to improve the physical, cognitive, emotional, social,

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