Speech Therapy in Palm Beach | Personalized, In-Home Care for Adults

Conditions Nina Treats in Palm Beach with Speech Therapy for Adults

As a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP), Nina offers speech therapy in Palm Beach for adults facing challenges from a host of conditions. Some of the conditions that benefit from speech therapy include:

• Stroke Recovery – Regain communication, thinking skills, and swallowing function after a stroke with targeted, evidence-based therapy. Nina understands that stroke recovery is a journey, not a destination, and she'll be with you every step of the way. Her approach focuses on:

  • Rebuilding neural pathways through intensive practice

  • Adapting communication strategies for daily activities

  • Supporting family members in understanding your needs

  • Celebrating every milestone, no matter how small

• Aphasia – Improve speaking, understanding, reading, and writing after language loss from a stroke or brain injury. Aphasia affects everyone differently, and Nina creates individualized programs that honor your communication style while building new pathways to expression. Treatment includes:

  • Comprehensive language assessment and ongoing monitoring

  • Functional communication training for real-life situations

  • Technology integration for enhanced communication

  • Group therapy opportunities and community connections

• Parkinson’s Disease – Strengthen voice, speech clarity, and swallowing with the proven SPEAK OUT!® program. Nina is specially trained in voice therapies designed specifically for Parkinson's, including:

  • Voice strengthening

  • Articulation exercises for clearer speech

  • Breath support training

  • Swallowing safety strategies

  • Family education on communication support

• Dementia & Alzheimer’s – Maintain communication abilities, memory strategies, and safety skills to support independence. Nina works with both patients and families to:

  • Develop memory aids and environmental modifications

  • Create communication strategies that reduce frustration

  • Establish routines that support cognitive function

  • Provide caregiver training and emotional support

  • Plan for future communication needs

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) – Rebuild cognitive-communication skills, including memory, attention, and problem-solving. Nina understands that TBI recovery is complex and individualized, addressing:

  • Executive function skills for daily decision-making

  • Social communication and pragmatic language skills

  • Memory strategies and compensatory techniques

  • Return-to-work or school communication preparation

  • Family dynamics and relationship communication

• ALS & Progressive Conditions – Preserve speech, explore alternative communication tools, and ensure comfort through each stage. Nina provides:

  • Early intervention to maximize communication longevity

  • Voice banking and message banking services

  • AAC device trials and training

  • Swallowing assessment and management

  • End-of-life communication support and planning

• Voice Disorders - Address vocal fatigue, hoarseness, breathiness, or loss of vocal power due to neurological conditions, vocal cord paralysis, or other medical causes:

  • Vocal hygiene education and lifestyle modifications

  • Breathing and posture training for optimal voice production

  • Vocal exercises to strengthen and coordinate vocal muscles

  • Resonance therapy for clearer, more efficient voice use

• Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) - Ensure safe and enjoyable eating and drinking through comprehensive swallowing assessment and treatment:

  • Clinical swallowing evaluations

  • Texture modification recommendations

  • Swallowing exercises and techniques

  • Family training on safe feeding practices

  • Coordination with physicians for instrumental assessments when needed

• Dysarthria

  • A motor speech disorder that causes slurred, slow, or difficult-to-understand speech

  • Often results from stroke, brain injury, or conditions such as Parkinson’s disease

  • Therapy in Palm Beach focuses on:

    • Strengthening the muscles used for speech

    • Improving breath support and control

    • Practicing strategies for clearer communication

  • The goal is to help you be understood by family, friends, and caregivers so daily conversations feel more natural and less frustrating

Each treatment plan is customized to your goals — from restoring functional communication to improving safety while eating and drinking.

Evidence-Based SpeechTherapy, Compassionate Care in Palm Beach

Nina's approach to speech therapy combines the latest research and clinical techniques with deeply personalized, compassionate care. Every therapy plan is thoughtfully designed around your unique needs, goals, and daily life circumstances. Working in the comfort of your own home, Nina creates a supportive environment where healing and progress can flourish naturally.

Your comprehensive therapy plan may include specialized interventions from these core areas:

• Cognitive-Communication Therapy – Strengthening memory, attention, and executive function

• Speech Production & Clarity – Correcting articulation and improving fluency

• Language Therapy (Aphasia) – Rebuilding comprehension and expression skills

• Voice Therapy – Increasing vocal strength, quality, and endurance

• Swallowing Therapy (Dysphagia) – Enhancing safety during eating and drinking

• Reading & Writing Support – Regaining literacy skills

• AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) – Learning effective device use

• Functional Communication Strategies – Building independence in everyday interactions

• Progressive Disease Support – Maintaining skills for as long as possible

Cognitive-Communication Therapy – Strengthening memory, attention, and executive function

Cognitive-communication therapy addresses the thinking skills that support effective communication and daily independence. Nina works with adults who have experienced stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other neurological conditions that impact cognitive function.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Memory difficulties that interfere with following conversations or remembering important information

• Attention challenges that make it hard to focus during communication

• Executive function problems affecting planning, organization, and problem-solving

• Processing speed issues that slow down communication interactions

• Reasoning and judgment difficulties that impact safety and independence

Treatment Approaches: Nina uses evidence-based techniques including spaced retrieval training, attention process training, and metacognitive strategy instruction. Sessions focus on real-world applications, using your daily routines and personal interests to make therapy meaningful and practical. Family members learn how to provide appropriate support while encouraging independence.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward improved ability to manage daily schedules, follow multi-step instructions, participate in conversations without losing track, make safe decisions, and use memory strategies independently in their home and community.

Speech Production & Clarity – Correcting articulation and improving fluency

Clear, intelligible speech is fundamental to confident communication. Nina specializes in helping adults whose speech has been affected by neurological conditions, structural changes, or progressive diseases regain clarity and precision in their speech.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Articulation difficulties that make speech hard to understand

• Motor planning problems (apraxia) that affect speech coordination

• Muscle weakness or coordination issues (dysarthria) impacting speech clarity

• Fluency disorders including stuttering that may emerge after neurological events

• Rate and rhythm problems that affect natural speech flow

• Prosody issues that impact the melody and stress patterns of speech

Treatment Approaches: Nina employs motor learning principles, intensive practice protocols, and biofeedback techniques tailored to each person's specific speech challenges. Treatment may include oral motor exercises, articulation drills progressing from sounds to conversation, rate control techniques, and prosody training. She often incorporates technology and apps to support practice between sessions.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward clearer pronunciation of sounds and words, improved coordination between breathing and speaking, more natural speech rhythm and pacing, increased confidence in speaking situations, and enhanced communication effectiveness with family and friends.

Language Therapy (Aphasia) – Rebuilding comprehension and expression skills

Aphasia, most commonly caused by stroke, affects the ability to understand and use language. Nina provides comprehensive aphasia therapy that addresses all aspects of language while honoring each person's communication style and personal goals.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Word-finding difficulties and naming problems

• Trouble understanding spoken language or following conversations

• Challenges with reading comprehension and written expression

• Grammar and sentence formation difficulties

• Social communication and pragmatic language skills

• Confidence and emotional aspects of communication changes

Treatment Approaches: Nina utilizes evidence-based approaches including semantic feature analysis, verb network strengthening treatment, and script training. She incorporates functional communication activities that reflect real-life situations, such as phone conversations, medical appointments, and social interactions. Treatment is highly individualized and may include group therapy opportunities for additional practice and peer support.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward improved word retrieval in conversation, better understanding of complex information, more effective use of gestures and alternative communication strategies, increased confidence in social situations, and enhanced ability to express thoughts and needs clearly.

Voice Therapy – Increasing vocal strength, quality, and endurance

Voice problems can significantly impact quality of life and communication effectiveness. Nina provides specialized voice therapy for adults experiencing voice changes due to neurological conditions, vocal cord issues, or other medical causes.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Weak or soft voice that's difficult to hear

• Hoarse, breathy, or rough voice quality

• Vocal fatigue during speaking

• Loss of vocal flexibility and range

• Breathing difficulties that affect voice production

• Voice changes associated with Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions

Treatment Approaches: Nina is trained in specialized voice programs including SPEAKOUT® for Parkinson's disease and uses evidence-based techniques such as vocal function exercises, resonant voice therapy, and respiratory training. Treatment includes education about vocal hygiene, postural considerations, and environmental modifications to support optimal voice use.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward stronger, clearer voice production, improved breath support for speaking, reduced vocal fatigue, better voice quality for phone conversations and group settings, and increased confidence in communication situations that require sustained talking.

Swallowing Therapy (Dysphagia) – Enhancing safety during eating and drinking

Swallowing difficulties can pose serious health risks and significantly impact quality of life. Nina provides comprehensive dysphagia assessment and treatment to help adults eat and drink safely while maintaining nutritional status and mealtime enjoyment.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Difficulty chewing or moving food around in the mouth

• Problems with swallowing liquids, solids, or medications

• Coughing or choking during meals

• Food or liquid going into the airway (aspiration)

• Reduced sensation or awareness during swallowing

• Fatigue during meals affecting nutritional intake

Treatment Approaches: Nina conducts thorough clinical swallowing evaluations and provides targeted interventions including oral motor exercises, swallowing maneuvers and techniques, posture and positioning strategies, and diet texture modifications. She collaborates with physicians for instrumental swallowing studies when needed and provides family training on safe feeding practices.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward safer swallowing with reduced risk of aspiration, improved oral motor strength and coordination, successful management of various food and liquid textures, maintained nutrition and hydration, and preserved enjoyment of meals and social eating situations.

Reading & Writing Support – Regaining literacy skills

Whether you’re in New York or Palm Beach, literacy skills are essential for independence and participation in many daily activities. Nina helps adults who have experienced changes in their reading and writing abilities due to stroke, brain injury, or other neurological conditions.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Difficulty recognizing letters, words, or numbers

• Problems understanding written material, from simple sentences to complex texts

• Challenges with writing, from forming letters to composing thoughts

• Trouble with spelling, grammar, and sentence structure in writing

• Difficulty using reading and writing for functional activities like bills, medications, and communication

Treatment Approaches: Nina uses multi-sensory approaches to reading and writing rehabilitation, incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile strategies. Treatment progresses systematically from basic recognition skills to complex comprehension and expression, always focusing on personally meaningful and functional materials.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward improved recognition of important written information, better comprehension of reading materials like newspapers and books, enhanced ability to write notes and messages, successful completion of written forms and documents, and increased confidence in literacy-based daily activities.

AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) – Learning effective device use

When speech alone isn't sufficient for effective communication, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) provides powerful tools and strategies. Nina specializes in helping adults learn to use AAC systems effectively to enhance their communication abilities.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Severe speech difficulties that limit communication effectiveness

• Need for communication backup during speech therapy recovery

• Progressive conditions requiring communication alternatives

• Temporary communication needs following medical procedures

• Desire to reduce communication frustration and increase independence

Treatment Approaches: Nina provides comprehensive AAC assessment, device trials, and training on both high-tech devices (speech-generating devices, tablets with communication apps) and low-tech options (communication boards, gestures, writing). She emphasizes functional communication goals and provides extensive training for both users and their communication partners.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward effective use of AAC systems for daily communication needs, successful communication in various settings and with different partners, integration of AAC with natural speech when possible, increased independence in expressing wants and needs, and enhanced participation in social and professional activities.

Functional Communication Strategies – Building independence in everyday interactions

Real-world communication involves complex social situations, environmental challenges, and diverse communication partners. Nina focuses on helping adults develop practical strategies for successful communication in their daily lives.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Difficulty communicating in noisy or distracting environments

• Challenges with telephone or video call communication

• Problems participating in group conversations or meetings

• Trouble communicating with unfamiliar people or in new situations

• Anxiety or reduced confidence in communication situations

• Need for strategies to manage communication breakdowns effectively

Treatment Approaches: Nina uses role-playing, environmental practice, and real-world communication opportunities to build functional skills. She teaches repair strategies for communication breakdowns, environmental modifications to improve communication success, and self-advocacy skills for various situations.

Typical Goals: Patients work toward successful communication in community settings, effective use of repair strategies when communication breaks down, increased confidence in social and professional interactions, improved ability to communicate personal needs and preferences, and enhanced participation in family and community activities.

Progressive Disease Support – Maintaining skills for as long as possible

For individuals with progressive neurological conditions, speech therapy focuses on maintaining current abilities while planning for future communication needs. Nina provides compassionate, forward-thinking care that adapts to changing abilities over time.

What This Therapy Addresses:

• Gradual changes in speech, voice, and swallowing abilities

• Need for communication planning as abilities change

• Family adjustment to progressive communication changes

• Timing of interventions and equipment recommendations

• Emotional support during the progression of communication difficulties

• End-of-life communication planning and support

Treatment Approaches: Nina emphasizes early intervention to maximize current abilities, proactive planning for future needs, family education and support, coordination with medical teams, and introduction of compensatory strategies and equipment at optimal times throughout disease progression.

Typical Goals: Patients and families work toward maintained communication abilities for as long as possible, successful adaptation to changing needs, effective use of strategies and equipment to support communication, family confidence in supporting communication, and preserved quality of life and meaningful connections throughout the disease process.