Exploring the UCLA Speech Therapy Program: A Comprehensive Guide

The UCLA Speech Therapy Program, offered by UCLA Health, provides comprehensive and specialized care for individuals of all ages with speech and swallowing disorders. This article delves into the various aspects of the program, highlighting its services, expertise, and commitment to patient-centered care.

Why Choose UCLA Health for Speech Pathology Services?

UCLA Health stands out for its dedication to delivering customized treatment plans based on the latest advancements in the field. The Speech Pathology Clinic boasts a team of highly skilled speech pathologists and experts specializing in treating both children and adults.

Evidence-Based Therapies

As part of a world-renowned teaching hospital, UCLA Health's speech pathologists remain at the forefront of advanced treatments. They are committed to staying updated with the latest research and innovations in speech and swallowing disorders. This ensures that patients and their families receive the best possible care, grounded in evidence-based practices.

Patient-Focused Care

UCLA Health prioritizes the patient experience, aiming to make accessing care as easy as possible. Their goal is to provide an excellent experience at every point of contact, ensuring that patients feel supported and well-cared for throughout their treatment journey.

Specialized Care

The program offers dedicated programs and services tailored to individual needs. Patients are carefully matched with a provider whose clinical specialty aligns with their specific condition. This personalized approach allows for the development of tailored therapies designed to help patients achieve their unique goals.

Strong Collaborative Relationships

UCLA Health fosters strong collaborative relationships between various departments, including audiology, pediatrics, radiation oncology, neurology, and rehabilitation services. This interdisciplinary approach ensures coordinated care and comprehensive support for patients. The specialists also collaborate with the UCLA Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health and the UCLA Health Head and Neck Cancer Program, further enhancing the scope and quality of care.

Comprehensive Services Offered

The specially trained speech pathologists at UCLA Health provide world-class care through diverse programs and services designed to address specific needs. The program offers comprehensive evaluations, treatments, and ongoing support.

Adult Services

UCLA Health offers a range of specialized services for adults with speech and swallowing disorders.

Swallowing Disorders Programs

Experts at UCLA Health diagnose and treat swallowing disorders, also known as dysphagia. For patients with a history of head and neck cancer, speech pathologists collaborate closely with UCLA Health Head and Neck Surgery to determine the most appropriate treatments. This team approach ensures convenient and comprehensive care for adults facing swallowing difficulties.

For patients undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, UCLA Health partners with UCLA Health Radiation Oncology to provide a specific program aimed at preserving swallow function post-treatment. This proactive approach helps minimize the long-term impact of radiation on swallowing abilities.

Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA

Neurogenic Communication Disorders

The program addresses communication disorders that arise from neurological conditions, such as stroke, brain injury, or brain tumors. Therapies are designed to improve communication skills and overall quality of life for individuals affected by these conditions.

Voice Disorders

UCLA Health works closely with otolaryngologists to diagnose and treat a variety of voice disorders. The partnership with UCLA Health Head and Neck Surgery allows for collaboration on complex voice cases, ensuring comprehensive and specialized care. In partnership with the UCLA Gender Health Program, speech pathologists offer gender-affirming voice care, providing support and guidance for individuals seeking to align their voice with their gender identity.

Total Laryngectomy Service

For individuals planning to undergo or who have undergone a laryngectomy, UCLA Health offers a wide range of services. These include pre- and post-operative counseling, electrolarynx training, and tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) management. The goal is to help patients regain their ability to communicate effectively after surgery.

Adult Conditions Treated

The UCLA Speech Therapy Program addresses a wide variety of adult conditions, including:

Aphasia
Apraxia
Dysarthria
Cognitive/communication impairment
Dysphonia and other upper airway disorders
Aphonia following total laryngectomy
Dysphagia
Supragastric belching

Pediatric Services

UCLA Health provides specialized speech and language services for children, addressing a wide range of communication disorders.

Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors

Pediatric Speech-Language Services

Pediatric speech and language pathologists evaluate, diagnose, and treat children with common to complex communication disorders. They coordinate care with pediatricians, audiologists, and pediatric neurologists to offer well-rounded care and effective treatments. The speech pathologists work closely with the child and their family, offering support and guidance in a compassionate environment.

Pediatric Cochlear Implant Services

UCLA Health partners with UCLA Health Audiology and UCLA Health Head and Neck Surgery as part of a comprehensive Cochlear Implant Program. They offer pre- and post-implant speech and language assessments and treatment, as well as patient/family counseling when appropriate. This comprehensive approach ensures optimal outcomes for children receiving cochlear implants.

Pediatric Voice and Swallowing Services

UCLA Health provides comprehensive swallow assessments for children of all ages. Additionally, they offer voice assessment and treatment for children ages 3 and up. These services address a range of voice and swallowing difficulties that can affect children's health and well-being.

Pediatrics Fluency Disorders Services

UCLA Health provides fluency assessment and treatment for children between the ages of 4 and 12 who stutter or have other fluency disorders. These services aim to help children develop strategies to improve their fluency and communication skills.

Pediatric Conditions Treated

The UCLA Speech Therapy Program addresses a wide variety of pediatric conditions, including:

Dysphagia
Dysphonia and other upper airway disorders
Apraxia
Fluency disorders (stuttering)
Speech language delays and disorders

Inpatient Speech Pathology Services

In addition to comprehensive outpatient care, UCLA Health's speech pathologists provide support and treatments for people while they are in the hospital. This ensures continuity of care and allows patients to receive necessary speech therapy services even during hospitalization.

The Significance of Linguistics at UCLA

The study of Linguistics at UCLA offers a valuable foundation for understanding language structure and its application across various fields. The Department of Linguistics provides students with terminology and techniques for understanding the structure of any language. Linguistics differs from the study of a specific language in that it provides terminology and techniques for understanding the structure of any language. By studying phonetics and phonology, for example, a student of linguistics learns how to produce a wide variety of sounds and a general way to categorize language sounds.

Linguistics as a Foundation for Diverse Fields

A B.A. program in Linguistics doesn't provide professional training for a specific career, but it equips students with valuable skills applicable to many fields. Linguistics differs from most other âliberal artsâ fields in that linguists strive to create succinct statements or ârulesâ that can be generalized to data that was not originally examined. Surveys of students who have received B.A. degrees in Linguistics have revealed that they consider Linguistics to be a valuable background in many other fields where linguistic skills have a much less direct application.

Opportunities for Linguistics Students at UCLA

UCLA Linguistics majors have been very successful in getting into highly-ranked graduate programs, usually with fellowship support. Students are encouraged to take advantage of UCLAâs free professional network on UCLA ONE (Opportunity, Network, and Experience) to connect with UCLAâs vast alumni community. With UCLA ONE, students have the opportunity to explore their career interests and acquire new resources. Discover your future with Handshake. Handshake is a platform that connects talented Bruins with internships, jobs, and career opportunities.

Faculty and Research

UCLA boasts a distinguished faculty actively involved in cutting-edge research in speech and language development.

Meg Cychosz

Meg Cychosz (she/her) is an assistant professor of linguistics at UCLA where she directs the Speech and Cognitive Development Team. In her research, Dr. Cychosz studies how infants and children from a variety of backgrounds (children with and without hearing loss, multilingual children) develop speech and learn to produce and process sounds and words. To understand this, Dr. Cychosz has worked with children from all over the world (Bolivia, Mexico, France, Spain, the United States) in an interdisciplinary research program that combines techniques from linguistics, natural language processing, developmental psychology, and electrical engineering. Dr. Cychosz holds a Master 1 in Phonetics from UniversitÃ© Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3 and an M.A./Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Amy Martinez

Amy Martinez, MA has been a research audiologist for over four decades. Her research journey began at UCLA assisting in the study of auditory perception and speech recognition in adults with hearing loss. She joined Dr. Laurie Eisenbergâs pediatric research lab at the House Research Institute and then the Keck School of Medicine, USC, assessing speech perception and spoken word recognition in children with assistive listening devices. She is excited to come full circle and return to UCLA!

Sonia Patrizi

Sonia Patrizi (she/her) is an Italian pediatric speech-language pathologist, transitioned into a research SLP and lab coordinator. Her experience spans working with both monolingual and multilingual children with various developmental, language, and learning delays/disorders. She has collaborated in multidisciplinary teams and values building connections with families and schools to ensure comprehensive, holistic care. Sonia earned a Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Padova.

Valerie Lew

Valerie Lew, M.S., CCC-SLP (she/her) is as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at the UCLA Speech Clinic. She has worked for the UCLA outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital for the past 9 years and is the lead SLP on the UCLA Cochlear Implant Team. She earned her bachelorâs degree and masterâs of science in speech-language pathology with an emphasis in bilingual speech-language pathology at Texas Christian University. Her passion for working with children with hearing loss and their families began in college, when she worked at the John Tracy Clinic and the Texas Hearing Institute. She is currently working towards her Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist (LSLS, Cert. AVT) certification and is the AG Bell 2024 Doreen Pollack LSLS Cert. AVT Scholar. Her specialty interests include working with children with hearing loss with congenital CMV, single-sided deafness, and/or from bilingual/multilingual families.

Student Involvement

The Speech and Cognitive Development Team also involves a number of students, such as Arjun, Emma Montilla, Katarina, Noel, Adeline, Roxy, Shiyu, Paden, Monique, Carissa, Daisy, Kriti, Elizabeth Garcia, Samantha, Thomas, Allison, Emma Gonzalez, Celina, Ellery, Ivy, Ariel, Angelina, Shen, Issa, Madurya, and Amanda.

tags: #ucla #speech #therapy #program