Information for people with speech difficulties resulting from MS

Congratulations for acknowledging your speech problem. Now what?

In this section we include information for those people who have MS, are newly diagnosed, have a specific speech issue or just want to learn more about what to do if you are experiencing speech problems.

Some Questions Answered

What should you do about speech difficulty?

Ask your MS Nurse, Social Worker or GP to refer you to a Speech & Language Therapist (SLT).

What will the SLT do about it?

They will assess your speech and also enquire about swallowing. Both are connected and often affected by MS.

What then?

Your SLT may suggest a course of exercises. It's a bit like physiotherapy for the mouth and throat!

What else?

You probably have house insurance and if you could have insured against getting MS, you would have done. Well you can insure against being one of a very small percentage of people with MS who lose the ability to communicate.

How?

By asking your SLT to show you how to use a Lightwriter, Possum or other suitable speech aid, just in case.

What are Lightwriter and Possum Speech Aids?

They are compact portable computer devices with integral keyboards. You type in what you want to say and it comes out through a speech synthesiser.

If a speech aid is necessary, do I have to pay for it?

Speakeasier will fund the purchase of any speech aid prescribed by a Speech & Language Therapist for a client with MS.

But I can talk at the moment, why learn to use it now?

That is where the insurance part comes in. Sadly, if your speech deteriorates to the extent that you will need a Lightwriter, or other suitable speech aid, it's probable that there will be other deterioration too, making it increasingly difficult to learn.

Some people leave it until it's too late..
Speak to an SLT and learn now!