Every child communicates differently, but when speech or language challenges make it difficult to express wants, understand others, learn, or connect with family and friends, early intervention can make a lasting difference.

The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center provides comprehensive speech and language evaluations and individualized therapy for infants, children, and adolescents. Our experienced speech-language pathologists work alongside graduate student clinicians to provide evidence-based care that helps children develop the communication skills they need to succeed at home, in school, and in everyday life.

Whether your child is saying their first words, struggling to pronounce sounds, having difficulty understanding language, or experiencing challenges related to autism or another developmental condition, our team is here to help.

Who Can Benefit from Speech and Language Therapy?

Our clinicians evaluate and treat children with a wide variety of communication disorders, including:

Speech sound disorders (articulation and phonological disorders)
Childhood apraxia of speech
Expressive and receptive language disorders
Developmental language delays
Late talkers
Autism spectrum disorder
Cleft palate and craniofacial disorders
Hearing-related communication delays
Communication difficulties associated with genetic or neurological conditions

If you are unsure whether your child’s communication skills are developing as expected, we encourage you to schedule an evaluation. Early identification often leads to better outcomes.

What are Signs Your Child May Benefit from an Evaluation?

Consider scheduling a speech and language evaluation if your child:

Is difficult for others to understand
Is not meeting expected speech or language milestones
Has a limited vocabulary for their age
Has difficulty following directions
Struggles to answer questions or express thoughts
Has trouble interacting with peers
Becomes frustrated when trying to communicate
Experiences communication changes following illness or injury

Even if your child has already received services through their school, additional therapy may provide individualized treatment to address specific communication goals.

What Should I Expect During the Evaluation?

Your child’s evaluation begins with a conversation about your concerns, developmental history, and communication goals. Our speech-language pathologists will select assessment activities that are appropriate for your child’s age and needs.

The evaluation may include:

Standardized assessments
Play-based observation
Speech sound testing
Language assessment
Oral mechanism examination
Parent interview
Hearing screening, when appropriate

Following the evaluation, our clinicians will review the results with your family, answer your questions, and provide individualized recommendations for treatment. Please plan for 1-2 hours for this initial appointment.

What Should I Expect for Therapy?

Every child receives a personalized treatment plan based on their unique strengths and needs. Therapy sessions are designed to be engaging, motivating, and functional while using evidence-based treatment approaches.

Depending on your child’s goals, therapy may focus on:

Producing speech sounds more clearly
Expanding vocabulary
Building sentence structure
Improving listening and comprehension skills
Developing social communication
Increasing confidence when speaking
Supporting literacy and early reading skills
Teaching families strategies to use at home

Parents and caregivers are an important part of the therapy process. We work closely with families to provide education and home practice activities that reinforce skills outside of therapy sessions.

Why Choose Marshall University?

Families choose the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center because we provide:

Comprehensive evaluations for children of all ages
Evidence-based treatment provided by licensed speech-language pathologists
Individualized therapy plans
Affordable services with many insurance plans accepted
Access to graduate student clinicians supervised by experienced faculty
Collaboration with other Marshall University specialty clinics when appropriate
A family-centered approach focused on meaningful communication outcomes

As a university clinic, our faculty remain actively engaged in research and clinical education, ensuring that your child benefits from current, evidence-based practices while helping prepare the next generation of speech-language pathologists.

Insurance and Financial Assistance

Insurance coverage for pediatric feeding and swallowing services varies by plan. Families are encouraged to contact their insurance provider to determine whether feeding and swallowing evaluation and treatment are covered and whether prior authorization is required.

Financial assistance may also be available through the Huntington Scottish Rite Scholarship Program for qualifying families whose insurance does not cover services or who do not have insurance coverage.

Please contact the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center for additional information about insurance, costs, and available financial assistance.

Schedule an Appointment

If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language development, our team is here to help.

To schedule an evaluation or learn more about our pediatric speech and language services, please contact the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center at 304-696-3641.

Adult Speech and Language Therapy

Helping Adults Communicate with Confidence and Independence

Changes in speech, language, or thinking can make everyday communication difficult. Following a stroke, brain injury, neurological condition, or other medical event, an adult may have difficulty speaking clearly, finding words, understanding conversations, reading, writing, organizing thoughts, or communicating as independently as they did before.

The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center provides comprehensive speech, language, and cognitive-communication evaluations and individualized therapy for adults.

Our goal is to help each person communicate as effectively and independently as possible in the activities that matter to them—whether that means having conversations with family, returning to work, managing daily responsibilities, participating in the community, or simply being able to express their own thoughts and ideas.

Who can Benefit from Adult Speech and Language Therapy?

Our clinicians evaluate and treat adults experiencing communication changes associated with:

Stroke
Traumatic brain injury
Brain tumors or other neurological injuries
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Dementia and other neurocognitive disorders
Progressive neurological conditions
Dysarthria
Apraxia of speech
Aphasia
Cognitive-communication disorders
Other medical or neurological conditions affecting communication

Treatment is individualized based on the person’s diagnosis, communication abilities, daily needs, and personal goals.

Signs You or a Loved One May Benefit from an Evaluation

Consider scheduling a speech and language evaluation if you or someone you care for:

Has difficulty finding the right words
Knows what they want to say but has trouble getting the words out
Has speech that has become slurred, slow, weak, or difficult to understand
Has difficulty understanding conversations or following directions
Has difficulty reading or writing following a stroke or neurological event
Frequently loses their train of thought
Has difficulty organizing or expressing ideas
Struggles with memory, attention, planning, or problem-solving during everyday activities
Has difficulty communicating at work or in social situations
Relies increasingly on family members to help communicate
Has experienced a change in communication following an illness, injury, or neurological diagnosis

Communication changes can be subtle or significant. An evaluation can help identify areas of difficulty and determine whether treatment may be beneficial.

Communication Changes After Stroke: Aphasia

Aphasia is a language disorder that can occur when areas of the brain responsible for language are damaged, most commonly following a stroke.

A person with aphasia may know exactly what they want to communicate but have difficulty accessing or using language.

Aphasia can affect:

Speaking
Understanding spoken language
Finding words
Reading
Writing
Using numbers

Aphasia does not mean that a person has lost their intelligence. Therapy focuses on improving communication abilities while also developing strategies that help individuals participate more successfully in everyday conversations and activities.

Family members and caregivers may also learn communication strategies to make conversations easier and more successful.

Motor Speech Disorders

Sometimes a person knows exactly what they want to say, but changes in the nervous system make it difficult to produce speech.

Dysarthria

Dysarthria occurs when weakness, changes in muscle tone, or difficulty coordinating the muscles used for speech affects how clearly a person speaks.

Speech may sound:

Slurred
Slow
Quiet
Weak
Strained
Monotone
Difficult to understand

Treatment may focus on improving speech clarity, loudness, rate, breath support, and strategies for communicating more successfully with others.

Apraxia of Speech

Apraxia of speech occurs when the brain has difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech.

A person with apraxia may know what they want to say but have difficulty producing the sounds or words accurately and consistently.

Therapy focuses on improving speech production and developing strategies to support successful communication.

Cognitive-Communication Therapy

Communication also depends on skills such as attention, memory, organization, reasoning, and executive functioning.

Changes in these abilities can occur following brain injury, stroke, neurological disease, cancer treatment, or other medical conditions.

A person with a cognitive-communication disorder may have difficulty:

Remembering important information
Maintaining attention during conversations
Following complex conversations
Organizing thoughts
Planning and completing tasks
Managing schedules or appointments
Problem-solving
Keeping track of information at work
Communicating efficiently in busy or distracting environments

Therapy focuses on practical strategies that support independence and participation in everyday life.

What to Expect During Your Evaluation

Your first visit begins with a conversation about the communication changes you have noticed, your medical history, and the activities that are most important to you.

A comprehensive evaluation is then individualized based on your concerns and may assess:

Speech clarity
Word finding
Spoken language
Understanding of language
Reading
Writing
Memory
Attention
Problem-solving
Executive functioning
Functional communication in everyday situations

Family members or caregivers are encouraged to participate when appropriate.

Evaluations may take approximately one to three hours, depending on the individual’s needs. Following the evaluation, your clinician will discuss the results with you and provide individualized recommendations.

Individualized Therapy

No two people have exactly the same communication needs.

Treatment goals are developed collaboratively and focus on skills that are meaningful to the individual’s everyday life.

Depending on your needs, therapy may focus on:

Improving speech clarity
Improving word finding
Strengthening spoken language
Improving reading and writing
Developing strategies for memory and attention
Improving organization and problem-solving
Increasing independence with everyday communication
Developing strategies for conversations at home, work, and in the community
Learning alternative ways to communicate when speech is difficult
Training family members and communication partners
Preparing for communication demands related to returning to work or other activities

Recommendations may include individual or small-group treatment. Therapy is typically scheduled one or two times per week for approximately 45–60 minutes, depending on individual needs.

Therapy Focused on Real Life

Our goal is not simply to improve performance on a test or practice isolated skills during a therapy session.

Whenever possible, treatment incorporates the communication activities that are important to you.

That might mean practicing how to:

Have conversations with family and friends
Make a phone call
Order at a restaurant
Communicate during a medical appointment
Read the newspaper or a favorite book
Write emails or text messages
Manage a calendar or daily schedule
Participate in hobbies and community activities
Communicate effectively at work
Advocate for your own needs

Therapy is designed to help you use communication skills and strategies beyond the clinic and in everyday life.

Family and Communication Partner Training

Communication disorders affect more than the person receiving therapy.

Family members and caregivers can play an important role in supporting successful communication. When appropriate, our clinicians provide education and training to help communication partners understand the disorder and learn strategies that make everyday conversations more successful.

This may include learning how to:

Give the person adequate time to communicate
Support understanding without speaking for the person
Use written words, pictures, gestures, or other communication supports
Reduce communication breakdowns
Encourage independence and participation

Our goal is to help the individual and the people around them communicate more successfully together.

The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center bills insurance for adult speech and language evaluation and treatment services.

Insurance coverage and individual out-of-pocket costs vary by plan. Clients are encouraged to contact their insurance provider regarding coverage for speech-language therapy and any plan-specific requirements.

If insurance does not cover speech-language services, contact our office to learn more about available financial assistance options.

Schedule an Adult Speech and Language Evaluation

If a stroke, brain injury, neurological condition, or other medical event has changed the way you or someone you care for communicates, our team is here to help.

Contact the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center at 304-696-3641 to schedule a comprehensive adult speech and language evaluation or learn more about our treatment services.

Contact Us

Speech & Hearing Center @ Marshall