Communications Disorders - Hearing Center
Welcome
The Communication Disorders Center at Albany Med provides inpatient and outpatient services for a wide range of speech pathology needs to people of all ages. The center encompasses First Expressions Preschool and hospital-based speech pathology services.
The Albany Med Advantage
At the Communication Disorders Center, inpatients of all ages are treated for a wide variety of diagnoses, with up to 90% of the caseload consisting of those referred for swallowing assessment.
In addition to providing bedside clinical examination and utilizing formalized speech pathology testing and behavioral observation, the speech pathology staff routinely participates in videofluoroscopic studies cooperatively with the Radiology department.
Other commonly diagnosed and treated conditions for inpatients include:
- Aphasia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Dysarthria
- Dysphonia
- Conditions related to tracheostomy and ventilator dependency
The adult outpatient caseload encompasses many of the same diagnoses, with a higher percentage of the caseload comprised of voice impairment and vocal cord dysfunction issues, and communication and swallowing issues related to head and neck cancer. Outpatient pediatric feeding/swallowing evaluations, including videofluoroscopy, are provided through the hospital-based staff.
First Expressions Preschool offers preschool-aged children educational services in addition to speech diagnostics and therapy. Diagnostic and therapeutic services are provided on an individual basis and in classes to children from 3 to 5 years of age who are delayed in their speech and language development.
First Expressions offers a self-contained class that enrolls only children with identified special education needs. In addition, an integrated class is offered, combining children demonstrating typical development with those having speech and language development needs. Individual therapy is also provided to a limited number of school age children and adults with speech, voice, language, or fluency impairments.
Contact Us
Outpatient services are provided from locations at 43 New Scotland Avenue and 628 Madison Avenue. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact 262-4526.
