From expressing your needs through better communication to making breakfast in the morning, speech and occupational therapies are designed to help you or your loved one better navigate the world around you.
Whether we’re helping with the aftermath of a stroke in an elderly person or an early developmental or speech disorder in a child, the team here at Celebrations Speech Group understands the power of combining speech therapy (ST) and occupational therapy (OT).
Here are a few of the many advantages of this two-pronged approach.
To understand why speech and occupational therapy often work so well together, we first need to understand them as separate practices.
In very brief terms, speech therapy is designed to help improve communication and understanding. This therapy tackles everything from stuttering to neurological disorders like apraxia of speech. Speech therapy also includes voice, language, and swallowing disorders.
According to the American Occupational Therapy Organization, OT “Enables people of all ages to participate in daily living.” While this definition seems broad and vague, that’s by design, as each person’s OT is tailored to their daily living needs. For example, one patient might need help with the fine motor skills needed for eating or dressing themselves, while another needs more balance work to stay steadier on their feet.
We offer occupational and speech therapy primarily because we’ve often found that our patients can greatly benefit from both at the same time.
For example, about 1.5 million Americans survive a traumatic brain injury each year, which can impact speech just as much as function. This same holds true for strokes. In many cases, OT and ST play critical roles in the recovery process.
Or, if a child is struggling to communicate because of a malfunction between the brain and the muscles that control speech, they can benefit from two therapies: speech therapy works to improve the communication between the brain and the muscles, while occupational therapy focuses on the fine motor skills of the speech muscles.
As another example, if we’re addressing a swallowing disorder, doing some core stability work in OT can encourage better posture for swallowing.
These are just a few of the many examples in which we combine therapies to optimize each.
Another point we want to make is that we’ve found it preferable to have the same team working on both the speech and occupational therapy sides of the equation. The therapists at our practice are well-qualified in their respective fields, and they appreciate each other’s vital contributions.
When they come together after separate evaluations, they combine their thoughts and work out the best path forward for improving communication and function in each of our clients.
By working together, our occupational and speech therapists provide seamless and comprehensive care to help you or your loved one thrive in the world.
If you want to learn more about how you can benefit from a combination of speech and occupational therapy, please contact one of our offices in Brentwood, Stockton, or Elk Grove, California, to schedule a consultation.
