Outpatient Speech Therapy

The goal of the speech-language pathologist at the San Diego Rehabilitation Institute is to provide functional evaluation and treatment of cognitive-linguistic, speech, language, voice and swallow disorders. A collaborative effort with the rehabilitation team, patients, families and physicians is made to provide individualized care and regain independence, following an illness or injury.

The ability to adequately communicate is an essential life skill that everyone needs for a satisfying quality of life. Likewise, cognitive changes such as reduced attention, memory or reasoning can negatively impact a patient’s ability to return to school or gainful employment. Speech-language pathologists work with patients to develop functional strategies that allow for the successful return to activities of daily living.

Swallowing disorders can develop from neurological events, disease processes, injuries, head/neck surgery, cancer and other medical conditions. If you have trouble swallowing food or beverages—a condition called dysphagia—SDRI has a team of rehabilitation experts with the specialized training needed to evaluate and treat your swallowing problem. We understand how an impairment of this basic function can pose considerable health risks, including malnutrition, dehydration and aspiration pneumonia.

Speech therapy services include the following:

• Speech and language assessment and treatment
• Cognitive assessment and retraining
• FEES/MBS evaluation of swallowing disorders and treatment
• Videostroboscopy and voice therapy
• Pre- and post- laryngectomy or radiation therapy counseling/education
• Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
• Alternative/augmentative communication evaluation and training (including Passy Muir Valve)

Contact Us

If you would like a referral, please contact us by e-mail or call:

Inpatient Rehabilitation: 619-229-7380
Outpatient Rehabilitation: 619-229-7216

Michelle McCadden

Michelle McCadden joined the Alvarado team in July, 2020, as the new speech pathology supervisor at San Diego Rehab Institute. She has worked across a variety of settings (inpatient, outpatient, acute rehab and subacute) as a lead speech pathologist and travel speech pathologist. Michelle has experience treating communication and swallowing disorders in patients with conditions such as head and neck cancer, stroke, brain injuries, trach/vent dependency, and various neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease and ALS. She is passionate about dysphagia management and has had advanced training in fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and modified barium swallow study (MBSS). She received her Masters degree
in Speech Language Pathology at University of Redlands after completing her Bachelors degree in Linguistics at UCSD.