Speech and Language Therapy

The Department of Speech and Language Therapy is staffed by nine speech and language therapists who specialise in the assessment, diagnosis and management of adult communication and swallowing disorders.

Speech and language therapists take into consideration the medical, physical, psychological and social factors that may contribute to the experience of disability. We work with patients, their families and members of the multidisciplinary team to anticipate and reduce the impact of these difficulties on the person’s everyday life.

In the acute care setting, we treat a wide variety of patient groups including progressive neurological disorders, stroke, traumatic brain injury, post neurosurgery, ENT (voice, tracheostomy tubes), head and neck surgery, care of the elderly, post general surgery, post radiation therapy, etc. Our service may take place at the patient’s bedside or in the speech and language therapy department

The department provides both inpatient and outpatient services to patients in St. Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire as well as a community liaison service. The department offers both individual and group treatment sessions.

We also take part in combined clinics with medical and other multidisciplinary team colleagues.

Services

• Assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of speech, language, voice and swallowing
• Patient and carer/family education and training
• Digital fluoroscopic assessment of swallowing disorders
• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) disorders
• Digital stroboscopy assessment of voice disorders
• Weekly adult communication groups
• Group therapy and Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) programmes for patients with Parkinson’s disease
• Swallowing and communication management of patients with tracheostomy tubes
• Management of patients post laryngectomy
• Augmentative and alternative communication systems
• Education and training to other health professionals
• Education of Speech and Language students and clinical research

Staff

Our nine speech and language therapists are qualified with B.Sc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies and over 60% have postgraduate degrees. Subjects studied include linguistics, neurolinguistics, cognitive neuro-psychology, neurology, head and neck anatomy, physiology and acquired and developmental communication disorders.

Clinics

A twice-weekly digital fluoroscopy clinic is held in the X-Ray department (Fluoroscopy Suite, 2nd Floor) to assess swallowing function in patients with oropharyngeal swallowing disorders. This occurs every Tuesday from 14:00 – 15:00 and Friday from 11.30 – 13:00.

Joint voice/ digital stroboscopy clinics are held in the outpatient department in conjunction with the ENT team every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings to examine patients with voice and head and neck disorders.