Speech/Language Pathologist

For children and adults experiencing communication difficulties, St. Joseph's Health Centre's Speech/Language Pathology Program can help.

Professionals are on hand to assess and/or treat communication disorders as well as feeding/swallowing disorders. Children aged 70 months and younger (who are not enrolled in senior kindergarten) and those over the age of 16 years are eligible for our services. Children who fall between the ages of 70 months and 16 years have access to speech/language services through the school system.

Children's services

Children most often attend our program to improve their language skills in a number of areas including comprehension, expression and social skills.  Alternatively, or in addition, we can help improve their speech skills in the areas of articulation, oral motor, voice, and fluency.

Children must be referred to our Speech/Language Pathology department through Wee Talk – the Wellington Dufferin Preschool Speech and Language Service System. Intake services for the Wee Talk system are operated by the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Health Unit.  Parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact Wee Talk, a network of speech and language services available in Wellington-Dufferin, to learn more about speech and language problems and what can be done to help solve them.

St. Joseph's also provides speech/language consultations and education to children and child care providers involved in licensed child care settings. Known as SPOT (Speech/Language, Physio and Occupational Therapies), this program works in conjunction with KidsAbility Centre for Child Development (Guelph).  Once parental consent has been obtained, children are referred by child care providers to KidsAbility which, in turn, facilitates the referral to St. Joseph's.

Adult services

Adults who are residents or patients of St. Joseph’s in long-term care, complex continuing care or rehabilitation have access to communication and feeding/swallowing assessment and intervention. 

Help with communication difficulties caused by neurogenic-related or degenerative disease often involves assessing and providing intervention to improve one or more area of communication or cognitive language skills including  receptive and expressive language, speech, reasoning, problem-solving, memory, and organization skills required to communicate effectively. 

A swallowing disorder can harm the health of those affected.  Early identification and treatment of swallowing disorders can help prevent malnutrition, dehydration, and pulmonary problems.  It can also promote greater independence in elderly people.  The Speech/Language Pathologist plays an important part in our in-house programs, known as Cum Pano and PROCEED, which have been designed to match staff and volunteers with St. Joseph’s patients and residents who need help to eat.

Participants for out-patient services require a physician’s referral.  Individuals seek out-patient Speech/Language Pathology help as part of stoke rehabilitation (e.g. to improve language and/or speech skills), to correct voice disorders by improving vocal quality, pitch, and loudness or to improve fluency skills. 

As in all conditions, early identification and intervention yield the best results.  Successful rehabilitation of a disorder can lead to better school and job success as well as improved social integration.

For more information, contact:

Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists

Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists

College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario

WeeTalk Wellington Dufferin Preschool Speech and Language Service System