The purpose of the lesson: To evaluate and improve communication skills and swallowing functions.

Participants:

  •  Patient
  •  Speech therapist

Materials:

  •  Assessment tools
  •  Mirror
  •  Toys or objects that stimulate speech production
  •  Food and drinks for assessment of swallowing

Course of the lesson:

1. Assessment (15 minutes)

• Interviews to collect medical history and determine the needs of the patient.

• Assessment of speech and language skills, such as:

  •    Articulation
  •    Speech
  •    Language
  •    Voice
  •    Praxia (planning and execution of speech movements)

• Assessment of swallowing function, such as:

  •      Oral phase (moving food in the mouth)
  •      Pharyngeal phase (movement of food from mouth to throat)
  •      Esophageal phase (movement of food from the pharynx to the esophagus)

2. Setting goals (15 minutes)

  •  An overview of the evaluation results.
  •  Setting realistic and measurable goals together with the patient.
  •  The goals should be aimed at improving communication skills and swallowing function.


3. Developing a treatment plan (15 minutes)

  •  The choice of specific strategies and interventions to achieve the goals.

 These may include:

  •      Exercises on articulation and speech
  •      Language therapy
  •      Vocal exercises
  •      Modification of swallowing

4. Individual lesson (60 minutes)

  •  Practical work on established skills and exercises.
  •  The use of various materials and techniques to help improve communication skills and swallowing function.
  •  The focus is on unlocking the patient's potential and developing compensatory strategies if necessary.

5. Evaluation of results (15 minutes)

  •  Discuss the patient's progress towards achieving goals.
  •  Making necessary adjustments to the treatment plan.
  •  Setting new goals for the future.

Homework:

  •  The patient can be assigned homework to consolidate the learned skills.
  •  This may include pronunciation exercises, conversational practices, or modification of swallowing while eating and drinking.

Effectiveness assessment:

  •  The effectiveness of the lesson is assessed on a regular basis using the same assessment tools that were used in the initial assessment.
  •  This allows you to track the patient's progress and make necessary adjustments to the treatment plan.