Speech Therapy

About Our Speech Therapy Program

Our speech therapy program at Ochsner LSU Health is dedicated to diagnosing and treating communication and swallowing disorders. Our team of specialists includes speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and voice specialists who are trained to address a wide range of conditions related to speech, language, cognition, swallowing, voice, and fluency. We provide inpatient speech therapy services at our St. Mary Medical Center (including NICU) and our Academic Medical Center, as well as outpatient services at Academic Medical Center, Ambulatory Care Center and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center in Shreveport.

Why Choose Ochsner LSU Health:

At Ochsner LSU Health, we understand the impact that communication and swallowing disorders can have on an individual's quality of life. Our speech therapy program is dedicated to providing personalized care and developing treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique needs. We treat patients with a variety of conditions, including stroke, brain injury/brain surgery, trauma/surgery, progressive neurological conditions, head & neck cancer, tracheostomy and ventilator dependence, and developmental delay. Our team of specialists is committed to helping patients achieve their goals related to speech difficulty, difficulty expressing or understanding language, difficulty chewing or swallowing, changes in the quality or loudness of voice, and changes in thinking skills.

We are proud to have a team of highly trained specialists who are dedicated to providing exceptional care to our patients. Our speech-language pathologists hold a Master's Degree and have completed a Clinical Fellowship Year in addition to their certification by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and state licensure. This rigorous training ensures that our team is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide the best possible care for our patients. We are committed to staying up-to-date with the latest advances in the field and using evidence-based practices to develop personalized treatment plans for each patient.

When you choose Ochsner LSU Health for your speech therapy needs, you can trust that you are in the hands of experienced professionals who are dedicated to helping you achieve your communication and swallowing goals

Our Speech Therapy Services

We offer a comprehensive range of services to help patients with communication and swallowing disorders. We provide evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of speech difficulty, including articulation, dysarthria, and apraxia. We also address difficulty expressing or understanding language, including aphasia.

Our team is experienced in treating difficulty chewing or swallowing, including dysphagia, as well as changes in the quality or loudness of voice, including dysphonia and aphonia. Additionally, we offer management of changes in thinking skills, including cognition deficits.

Specialty services that we offer include Modified Barium Swallow Studies (MBSS) in conjunction with Radiology, Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) in conjunction with ENT, and management of Tracheo-Esophageal Prostheses (TEP) for post-laryngectomy.

Our goal is to provide our patients with the highest quality of care and support throughout their speech therapy journey. We believe that everyone has the right to effective communication and safe swallowing, and we are committed to helping our patients achieve their goals. Our team works closely with patients and their families to develop individualized treatment plans that address their unique needs and challenges. Whether you are recovering from a stroke, managing a neurological condition, or seeking support for a developmental delay, our team is here to help. We are dedicated to providing compassionate care and helping our patients achieve the best possible outcomes.