Communication problems are very common after a stroke. Communication difficulties do not affect a person’s intelligence.
Our therapists will take some time to get to know you and your family and learn more about your stroke.
Typically, 1-2 sessions of assessment are required for the therapist to comprehensively gather information about your speech, language, and communication before and after your stroke. They may carry out some assessments to see where your areas of strength and need are. They will discuss the results of these assessments with you and may write a report.
Your therapist will also work with you to identify some achievable therapy goals; be it ordering your own food in a restaurant, to writing birthday cards again, we’ll make sure that everything we do is useful and meaningful to you.
Therapy sessions may include a range of gold-standard therapy approaches; your therapist will work with you to find something that is effective not only in the session, but also outside of the session in your real life. Our therapists will also advise you and your family of strategies to support your communication, including the use of technology.
This is assessed on a case-by-case basis and our therapists are flexible and experienced in tailoring therapy to your specific needs and goals. After a stroke, sometimes other factors such as tiredness/fatigue and concentration difficulties may affect your ability to participate in therapy sessions, and our therapists take this into account when planning your treatment.
Useful Information:
A stroke can damage areas of the brain responsible for communication and interaction. This may affect a person’s ability to speak, understand others, read, write or express themselves clearly.
Everyone’s strengths and needs after a stroke are different. You may notice slurred or unclear speech, difficulty finding words, trouble understanding conversations, challenges following instructions, or frustration when trying to communicate. It may be more difficult to read and/or write.
Many people experience improvement, especially with early and consistent speech and language therapy. Progress varies from person to person and can continue over months or years.
A Speech and Language Therapist will evaluate speech clarity, language understanding, expression, reading, writing and cognitive-communication skills to identify strengths and areas of strength and need.
Find out more about our Assessment Services.
Using short sentences, reducing background noise, giving plenty of time, offering choices, using gestures or writing, and maintaining patience can all support successful communication.
Speech and Language Therapy aims to rebuild language and speech skills, improve speech clarity, strengthen communication confidence, and develop practical strategies for everyday conversations and activities.
Therapy can begin as soon as the person is medically stable. Early intervention maximises recovery, but speech and language therapy can still be effective even many years after a stroke.
