About Generations Speech Therapy (GST)

Cindy earned her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1997.  Cindy is licensed by the state of Nebraska and has been awarded the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She has worked in all settings including public and private schools, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals and outpatient clinics. She currently has outpatient clinics in York, Sutton and Aurora. 

At Generations Speech Therapy, LLC, we develop a treatment plan that is customized to each patient’s needs. We may teach patients how to make sounds, improve their voices, increase their oral/written language skills to communicate more effectively and/or assist in the use of communication devices. We also teach swallowing strategies to improve swallow function or assist in decision making for alternative forms of nutrition. 

HOW WILL I BENEFIT FROM SPEECH THERAPY?

Speech Therapy aims to improve a person’s ability to communicate and/or swallow. We assist the patient in:

· The use of remaining abilities

· Restoring abilities as much as possible

· Teaching compensatory strategies for the problem indicated

· Learning other methods of communicating (i.e., AAC, Sigh language)

· HEP for maintenance of goals. 

WHY MIGHT I NEED SPEECH THERAPY?

Speech, Language and Swallowing Disorders in adults include Aphasia and/or Cognitive Deficits, Dysarthria, Apraxia, Dysphagia, and Voice Disorders.

Sometimes therapy is elective such as in cases of Accent Reduction. Whereas some cases are idiopathic, most often disorders result secondary to neurological dysfunction, head and neck cancer and/or vocally abusive behaviors.

Several more common neurological disorders include:

• Alzheimer’s Disease • Amyotrophic

Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) • Bell’s Palsy

• Dementia • Epilepsy • Huntington’s

· Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Parkinson’s Disease • Stroke

• Traumatic Brain Injury 

· Speech, Language and Swallowing Disorders in children include Articulation, Language, Fluency, Voice and Dysphagia.

These may result from:

 • Autism

• Birth defects (cleft lip or palate)

• Cerebral Palsy • Cognitive or other

developmental delays • Excessive ear infections during first year of life • Hearing impairments • Traumatic brain injury • Vocally abusive Behaviors

• Weak Oral Musculature

WHEN DO I NEED TO CONSULT A SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST?

· Early detection and interaction is essential

· The most critical time period for speech and language development is between 1 and 3 years of age.

· Effective treatment begins early in the recovery process following stroke or TBI.