Speech–Language Pathology & Swallowing Therapy for Adults
NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation speech–language pathology and swallowing therapists evaluate and treat adults for communication disorders, swallowing disorders, cochlear implant rehabilitation, and voice disorders, as well as treat children with pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. Rusk Rehabilitation pediatric speech–language pathologists provide services for children at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital—34th Street, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital and NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.
Our therapists also offer video visits for adults and children, so they can receive care at home or wherever is most comfortable and convenient.
Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program
Rusk Rehabilitation’s Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program helps people who have language difficulty due to damage to the brain caused by conditions such as stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Research shows that people with aphasia respond positively to intensive speech and language therapy. Patients receive therapy for three to four hours per day, four days a week, for three consecutive weeks. Treatment includes both individual and group speech–language therapy, as well as sessions that include music and computers to promote communication skills.
The goal of the program is to enhance quality of life by helping people with aphasia improve their ability to communicate. The program also provides participants with the opportunity to practice their communication skills while also enjoying New York City’s cultural institutions and other urban experiences.
Rusk Rehabilitation is a leader in aphasia treatment, having been one of the first medical facilities in the country to provide therapy for people with aphasia.
Interested participants must send an application to Elizabeth.Galletta@NYULangone.org. For more information, including program dates, please call Dr. Elizabeth E. Galletta at 646-501-7770 or the speech–language department at 212-263-6025.
Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders Program
Our inpatient speech–language program addresses disorders that result from a stroke or other brain disorder or injury. During the recovery process, a patient is transferred from NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital to the Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Unit or the Inpatient Brain Injury Program at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital or Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, where physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech–language pathology are provided.
Upon discharge from Rusk Rehabilitation, people often continue speech–language therapy through a seamless transition to an outpatient program.
Many different types of communication problems can result from a stroke or other brain injury. Each patient’s treatment is geared to their particular condition.
Our outpatient program, housed in NYU Langone’s Ambulatory Care Center East 38th Street, helps people with neurological problems including stroke, brain tumor, traumatic brain injury, primary progressive aphasia, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebellar degeneration, epilepsy, and other neurological diseases or conditions.
Swallowing Disorders Program
The Swallowing Disorders Program is dedicated to the diagnosis and therapeutic management of swallowing and feeding disorders, also known as dysphagia, seen in people of any age.
The treatment team includes physicians specializing in rehabilitation medicine, otolaryngology, radiology, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, pediatrics, and neurology. In addition, consultation and treatment planning may include occupational therapy, physical therapy, nutrition, and psychology. We provide care to patients who need it throughout NYU Langone.
Cochlear Implant Speech–Language Pathology Program
We provide speech–language pathology services to children and adults with cochlear implants—devices that convert sound waves into electrical signals and transmits them to the brain, allowing people with severely impaired hearing to hear sounds in their environment.
Patients range in age from 6 months to more than 90 years old and include people with both acquired and congenital hearing impairment. Services are delivered by a dedicated clinical specialist in speech–language pathology, and include pre- and post-implant speech–language assessments of expressive and receptive language and annual follow-up assessments. Patients receive treatment for any of the various speech–language difficulties that can arise following cochlear implantation, along with patient and family counseling on how to overcome them.
Patients are referred to our program through NYU Langone’s Cochlear Implant Center.
Voice Therapy
Voice therapy is an essential component of treatment for many patients with voice disorders—it’s often the most effective treatment recommendation. A voice disorder is anything that changes the sound quality of your speech. Therapy is provided by a clinical voice specialist in these areas.
Care of the Injured Voice
This successful voice therapy program is designed to help you improve the sound of your voice while the injury heals. This can also help you avoid vocal damage in the future. For patients who need surgery, preoperative and postoperative voice therapy ensures the best outcome and can reduce the possibility of recurrence and in some cases, speed up the rate of recovery.
Care of the Performing Voice
Actors, singers, and professional speakers are especially concerned with protecting their voices. They differ from the general population because of the unusual demands placed on their voices. As a certified vocologist, our clinical voice specialist specifically tailors therapy to meet the needs of the professional voice user.
Neurological Voice Disorders
If you receive a diagnosis of a neurological voice disorder, behavioral treatment may be prescribed in addition, or as an alternative, to medical treatment.
Treatment of Vocal Cord Dysfunction
The job of the vocal cords is to stay open while we breathe and close when we swallow. If they are doing the opposite—closing when you inhale—therapy sessions provide you with the tools you need to manage and sometimes eliminate these breathing problems.
To find out more about the voice disorders treatment program or to schedule an appointment, please call 212-263-6033.
Speech–Language Pathology Services for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease can affect many different aspects of communication, including speech production, vocal inflections and intensity, and facial expressions—all of which are important parts of how we communicate. We have experts who evaluate and analyze all of these aspects of communication and their impact on a person’s social interactions and quality of life.