Speech

Practical, exercise-based therapy for adults whose speech has become unclear, slurred, or effortful — whatever the cause.

“Speech” is the physical act of producing clear, intelligible sounds — the motor planning and muscle coordination needed to articulate words. When speech changes in adulthood, it often shows up as slurring, mumbling, a voice that’s suddenly too quiet, or a feeling that the words just won’t come out the way they used to.

Speech therapy for adults is active, exercise-based, and measurable. With the right approach, clarity, control, and confidence can all be rebuilt — often more quickly than people expect.

Common Reasons Adults Seek Speech Therapy

Speech has become slurred, mumbled, or unclear after a stroke

Voice and speech have become quiet or monotone with Parkinson's

Speech changed after a brain injury, surgery, or neurological diagnosis

A long-standing lisp or articulation difficulty from childhood

Stuttering that has persisted into adulthood

Family or colleagues are asking you to repeat yourself more often

Speech tires you out or becomes harder by the end of the day

Phone calls, meetings, or noisy rooms have become difficult

What We Treat

Motor Speech Disorders

Dysarthriais a weakness or reduced control in the muscles used for speech — the tongue, lips, jaw, palate, and breathing muscles. Speech may sound slurred, soft, strained, or hard to follow. Dysarthria is the most common reason adults are referred for speech therapy.

Apraxia of speechis different — the muscles themselves aren’t weak, but the brain has trouble planning and sequencing the movements needed to produce sounds. People know exactly what they want to say, but the right sounds don’t come out in the right order.

Articulation Difficulties (Lisps and Residual Speech Errors)

Many adults grew up with a lisp or other articulation difference that was never corrected in childhood. This is highly treatable in motivated adults — therapy focuses on learning new tongue and lip placement for the target sounds and progressively building from isolated sounds to conversation.

Stuttering in Adults

For adults who stutter, I use the Camperdown Program— the Australian gold-standard treatment, developed at the University of Sydney. It typically involves 10–20 therapy hours plus daily practice, and is client-driven, practical, and focused on real-world fluency.

What Therapy Involves

Therapy is hands-on and active — not passive “wellness” work. The exact approach depends on the underlying cause, but typically includes:

Targeted Exercises

Strengthening and coordination work for the muscles of speech — tongue, lips, jaw, palate, and breathing.

Breath and Volume Support

Building the breath support needed for clear, sustainable speech without strain.

Rate and Rhythm

Strategies for pacing, pausing, and over-articulating to make speech easier to understand.

Real-World Practice

Practising the conversations, calls, and situations that actually matter in your everyday life.

Compensatory Strategies

Reducing background noise, using face-to-face positioning, and other practical adjustments.

Daily Home Practice

Short, consistent practice between sessions — often the single biggest predictor of progress.

Speech Changes with Parkinson’s?

Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s experience changes to speech and voice — often becoming quieter, more monotone, or harder to understand without realising it. I’m a Certified SPEAK OUT!® Provider, delivering the SPEAK OUT!® program— an evidence-based therapy specifically designed for Parkinson’s-related speech changes.

Speech changing? Let’s talk.

Whether the change is recent or long-standing, assessment is the first step toward clearer, more confident speech.

Request an Assessment Contact Us