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Speech is just the beginning.

Speech Therapy | Speech, Voice & Swallowing

Name: Kootenai Health
Price range: $

Speech is just the beginning.

Speech Therapy | Speech, Voice & Swallowing

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Advanced therapies for communication, swallowing, feeding, and cognition.

The ability to communicate, eat, drink, think clearly, and find the right words shapes nearly every part of daily life. When those abilities change because of illness, injury, or a developmental condition, speech-language pathology helps uncover why—and create a plan for moving forward.

Our team treats infants through older adults for conditions affecting communication, voice, swallowing, feeding, and cognition. From infants with feeding difficulties to adults recovering from stroke, cancer treatment, or neurologic conditions, we provide specialized care tailored to your needs. Using advanced services like FEES, Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies, VitalStim®, and oromyofunctional therapy, we help patients eat more safely, communicate more clearly, and regain confidence in everyday life. Every care plan includes practical strategies for home and close coordination with the physicians and specialists involved in your care—so you can access advanced speech-language pathology services close to home.

More Than Speech—At Every Age

From infancy through older adulthood

Feeding your baby. Finding your words after a stroke. Eating safely again. We're here to help you regain the abilities that matter most.

Advanced Swallowing Evaluation

Finding the why behind your symptoms

We offer adult and pediatric FEES and Modified Barium Swallow studies to uncover the answers needed to help you eat and drink more safely.

Right Experts. Right Here.

Voice, swallowing, and cognitive specialists.

Receive specialized care for complex swallowing, voice, neurologic, and cognitive conditions—without leaving the region.

“Our speech-language pathology team is committed to restoring and enhancing the abilities that matter most in daily life. Through expert collaboration with physicians and rehabilitation professionals, we deliver advanced, evidence-based care for communication, cognition, feeding and swallowing, voice, and neurologic disorders. With specialized expertise spanning neonatal developmental care through adult rehabilitation, we help patients achieve greater independence, participation, safety, and quality of life.”

— Kimberlee Wassink M.S. CCC-SLP, NTMC-T, Manager of Rehab Operations

How We Can Help

Communication & Language

We help children and adults experiencing changes in their ability to communicate, understand, read, write, or connect with others, such as:

Aphasia
Speech and language disorders
Motor speech disorders (dysarthria and apraxia)
Speech sound disorders
Fluency (stuttering)
Social communication disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders

Thinking & Memory

Treatment for changes in thinking, memory, and communication, such as:

Cognitive communication disorders
Memory and attention challenges
Executive functioning
Communication changes following stroke, brain injury, and neurologic disease
Symptoms resulting from concussion

Voice

We evaluate and treat voice changes that can develop gradually or happen suddenly, such as:

Voice disorders (dysphonia)
Chronic cough
Voice changes following cancer treatment or surgery
Voice changes related to neurologic conditions, including Parkinson's disease
Vocal cord dysfunction
Breathing difficulties

Swallowing & Feeding

We provide evaluation and treatment for difficulty swallowing, which can affect nutrition, safety, and quality of life at any age, such as:

Swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
Infant feeding difficulties
Infant Feeding and Swallowing (latching, breastfeeding, bottle feeding)
Feeding and swallowing changes following stroke, brain injury or cancer treatment
Transitioning from tube feeding (PEG) to oral feeding

Advanced Evaluation

Speech, language, cognitive, and clinical swallowing evaluations help identify the nature and severity of the problem and is the first step toward effective treatment.

Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBS)

An imaging-based swallowing study for children and adults that evaluates swallowing function in real time.

Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)

A specialized assessment that allows direct visualization of swallowing structures to guide individualized treatment.

Treatment Approaches

Treatment is tailored to your evaluation findings, goals, and daily life. Depending on your needs, your care plan may include:

Therapies

Speech and language therapy
Voice therapy
Swallowing rehabilitation
Feeding therapy
Cognitive communication therapy

Advanced Treatments

VitalStim®
LSVT LOUD®
Oromyofunctional therapy
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

Support Services

Home strategies
Caregiver education

What to Expect

Before Your Appointment

Your First Appointment

Ongoing Care & Home Support

Whether you're coming for yourself, your child, or a loved one, we'll help you understand what to expect before your first appointment.

Please bring:

Photo ID and insurance card
Referral or authorization, if required by your insurance
Current medication list
Relevant medical records, imaging, or test results
Feeding supplies or communication devices, if applicable

During your first visit, we'll:

Talk about your goals, symptoms, and daily challenges.
Evaluate your communication, voice, swallowing, feeding, or cognitive concerns.
Explain our findings and answer your questions.
Create a personalized treatment plan with clear next steps.

You'll leave knowing what to expect and how we'll support your progress moving forward.

Progress continues between visits. Your care plan evolves as your needs change.

You'll receive:

Practical home strategies to support your goals
A personalized treatment plan that adapts as you improve
Coordination with your physician and other specialists when needed
Clear guidance on what to expect throughout treatment

We're here to help you build skills and confidence both in and outside of therapy.

Need Help?

Questions About Your Visit?

Call Rehabilitation Services at (208) 625-5311

MyChart Patient Portal

View test results and medical history anytime.

Need Portal Setup Help?

Check out MyChart Getting Started Guide or ask our nurses or front office to get started.

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