Clinical Speech Therapy

Clinical Speech Therapy for Adults

You may have had a speech problem since childhood. Perhaps you had no access to therapy or the problem has grown worse over time. Regardless, as an adult your speech or language problem may be a barrier to achieving your personal or professional goals.

As a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, Deborah Boswell works with adult clients who stutter or have voice disorders. Since 1991 she has provided caring and friendly speech therapy services to clients in Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, GA. and throughout the Southeast.

Some of the problems and disorders she treats include:

Stuttering

Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called “disfluencies.” Most people produce brief disfluencies from time to time. For instance, some words are repeated and others are preceded by “um” or “uh.” Disfluencies are not necessarily a problem; however, when a person who stutters avoids speaking situations because of their disfluent speech then speech therapy may be a solution.

Stuttering can have an impact on daily activities
In most cases, stuttering has an impact on at least some daily activities. The specific activities that a person finds challenging to perform vary by individual. For some people, communication difficulties only happen during specific activities, for example, talking on the telephone or talking before large groups. For most others, however, communication difficulties occur across a number of activities at home, school, or work.

Some people may limit their participation in certain activities. Such participation restrictions often occur because the person is concerned about how others might react to disfluent speech. Other people may find that they are excluded from participating in certain activities because of stuttering. Clearly, the impact of stuttering on daily life can be directly related to how the person and others react to the disorder.

Help and support for People Who Stutter (PWS)
Deborah Boswell has a passion for working with people who stutter, through individual sessions and through her monthly stuttering support group, which is sanctioned by the National Stuttering Association. This is an encouraging, supportive group of people. We welcome anyone who is interested to attend. Contact us for more information.

Fluent speech made easier
In addition to speech therapy services, Deborah Boswell offers SpeechEasy™, the smallest, most advanced and effective treatment for the problem of stuttering. We are the only authorized provider of this product in North and Central Alabama. SpeechEasy™ is small enough to fit completely in your ear canal, yet it uses an advanced microprocessor. It is digitally programmable with special software for a wide range of settings of Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) and Frequency Altered Feedback (FAF). We will work with your schedule to establish a three-hour SpeechEasy™ consultation to see if this device will be of benefit to you.

Contact us today
Contact us today for a free phone or email consultation about Deborah’s services.
(Portions of this information are from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.)

Articulation, Syntax, Grammar and Vocabulary Issues

Articulation disorders simply refer to sound errors or distortions in your speech. For example, saying “wain” for “rain” or “bewd” for “bird”. The most common articulation disorders occurring in the adult population are:

  • Lisping (“thun” for “sun”)
  • Lateral /s/  (“shoup” for “soup”)
  • Distortion and mis-articulation of “r”
  • “F” for “th” (such as “birfday” for “birthday”)

Many adults experience difficulty with spoken and written grammar as well as weak vocabulary skills. Deborah Boswell can work with you to improve your verbal expression so that you can speak with confidence in any situation.
Contact her for a free phone or email consultation with no obligation.

Accent Modification

Dialect Reduction & Accent Reduction Training

 

Many people feel disadvantaged in the American workplace because their speaking voice differs from what is known as standard American English. It’s proven—the way you talk affects what others think of you, but the good news is you CAN change the way you speak.

Why would you want to change your accent?

Dialect reduction and accent reduction training is one of Deborah Boswell’s areas of expertise, and she’s eager to help you. Whether you speak with a heavy Southern accent or a foreign dialect, Deborah’s proven approach to dialect reduction or accent modification coaching doesn’t remove your accent completely, but it will give you tools to smooth out your speaking voice in a way that is authentic to you. This kind of personal improvement could result in greater confidence and respect in business or social situations. It could also have a big impact on possible career advancement.

Deborah has extensive experience working with clients with various international dialects, including those from India, Spain, Turkey, Middle Eastern countries and others.

What issues do you normally see when internationals come to you for accent modification services?

Deborah and her expert trainers use one of the leading curricula for dialect reduction and accent reduction training, Compton’s Pronouncing English as a Second Language. Seven-week and 13-week training programs are available, depending on the need. Session times are determined around your schedule. In special cases, Deborah Boswell can work on time-sensitive projects and for “single sound” speech difficulties.

Deborah describes the process of helping a client reduce a foreign or regional accent.

Because of her experience taming (but not eliminating) her own “wild Southern accent,” she is passionate about providing this service either as coaching/consulting or as a corporate seminar.

Speech Therapy: assessment, plan and treatment

If you think you need speech or language therapy, there are three basic stages: assessment, treatment plan and treatment. The assessment involves sitting down with you and understanding your needs and your goals, and conducting diagnostic testing when applicable. We then develop a treatment plan that allows both therapist and client to agree on areas of focus, the frequency of sessions, and an estimated length of time you will be in treatment.

Increase your communication skills and self-confidence

There are no cookie-cutter approaches to Deborah’s services; every client is different. Your treatment will take place mostly in our office, but there will be homework consisting of practice and exercises you will do at home. Speech therapy can be hard work, but ultimately meeting your goals will have life-long effect: better communication with others and increased self-confidence.

Contact us today

Contact us for a free phone or email consultation with no obligation. If we determine, together, that an initial meeting is in order, we will evaluate your speech or language skills and consult with you on appropriate treatment. If treatment is necessary, we will set up a therapy program customized for your needs and schedule.

Monthly stuttering support group

We host a monthly stuttering support group, which is sanctioned by the National Stuttering Association. We welcome anyone who is interested to attend. Contact us for more information.

 

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