• Our speech-language therapy services are designed to optimize our patients' ability to think, communicate or swallow with confidence and success.  Outpatient and inpatient speech-language therapy services are carried out by licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologists for children, adolescents and adults of all ages.  Caregiver education and participation are always encouraged.  Home program guidelines and practice activities are provided to patients as needed. 

sEMG biofeedback for swallowing disorder

Services include evaluation and treatment of:

• Speech and voice - articulation, speech-breathing, oral-motor and vocal fold functions
• Language and cognitive skills - speaking, listening, reading, writing, total-communication, memory, organization, multi-tasking, concentration and attention, calculations, and cognitive-behavior management.
• Swallowing - safety, efficiency, nutrition/hydration integrity, neuromotor function, oral-motor integrity

Common Diagnostic Populations Served

• Neurological disorders (CVA, TBI, MS, autism)
• Adult pre-and post-surgical head-neck recovery
• Upper GI disturbances
• Respiratory disorders
• Congenital disorders
• Speech-language delays in children

Therapy Approaches

• Language and Cognitive Therapies - Aphasia Therapy-individual; attention/concentration training and compensatory memory strategies; augmentative communication training and ASL; Individualized Cognitive-Behavioral Learning Contracts; reading, writing and calculation retraining; child language and cognitive interventions; and developmental and sensory motor integration approaches
• Speech and Voice Therapies - Lee Silverman Voice Therapy ® (LSVT); Interactive Metronome (IM) application; speech-breathing and vocal hygiene training; myofacial therapy; Kinesiotaping; tracheostomy management; and pediatric speech and voice interventions
• Swallowing Therapies - sEMG biofeedback for swallowing; Thermal Stimulation; swallow strengthening exercises; myofacial therapy; Kinesiotaping; tracheostomy management; and pediatric oral motor and swallowing interventions

Additional Services

• Bilingual English/Spanish
• Speech-Language Therapy provides site supervision for graduate and assistant level SLP students who would like to persue a career in rehabilitation.

Speech-Language Therapists

Kristen Conyer, MA, CCC-SLP
Kristen is a speech-language pathologist with special experience working with children three years and under, in-home and clinic environments, as well as with school-aged children in elementary schools.  While working on her master's degree at Michigan State University, Kristen spent her practicum working in elementary schools, residential brain injury rehabilitation centers for adults as well as in the neonatal intensive care unit. 

Joe Violette, MS, CCC-SLP
Joe Violette holds dual Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Communication Disorders from the University of New Hampshire, Durham and his Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona.  He worked with mentally and physically disabled adults in community and institutionalized settings as a mental health technician, speech therapist and case manager from 1977 to 1983 and served as a Speech Therapist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tuba City, from 1983 to 1985.  For more than 20 years, he has been providing SLP services for various state, hospital and home health care agencies in the Tucson community.  Joe has co-authored several research publications in language interventions for children with autism and their parents.  He has also delivered a variety of presentations including ethics and interventions for dysphagia and cognitive-linguistic strategies for brain injury recovery.  Joe has been working at The University of Arizona Medical Center - South Campus since since 2004.  He has specialized experience in cognitive rehabilitation, voice and swallowing.  

Traditional therapy for apraxia of speech with Joe Violette.