Speech Therapy in McAllen & the Rio Grande Valley

Speech therapy — formally known as speech-language pathology — is a clinical discipline focused on evaluating and treating disorders of communication, cognition, and swallowing. At Professional Rehab Services, our speech-language pathologists (SLPs) bring this specialized care directly into patients' homes across the Rio Grande Valley, eliminating the need for clinic visits and allowing therapy to take place in the most natural, comfortable environment possible.

When a patient experiences a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or progressive neurological condition, the ability to speak, understand language, read, write, and swallow can be profoundly affected. These changes impact every aspect of daily life — from having a conversation with a spouse to eating a meal safely. Our SLPs conduct thorough evaluations to identify the specific areas of impairment and develop treatment plans that target functional improvement.

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is one of the most critical conditions we treat. Swallowing disorders can lead to aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration — all of which can result in hospitalization or worse. Our therapists assess swallowing function, recommend safe diet modifications, teach compensatory strategies, and work with patients on exercises designed to strengthen the muscles involved in swallowing.

For patients with aphasia — a language disorder typically caused by stroke — our SLPs use evidence-based approaches to rebuild communication abilities. This may include word-finding exercises, sentence formulation practice, reading and writing activities, and training in alternative communication strategies. We also work extensively with family members, teaching them how to support their loved one's communication at home.

Cognitive-linguistic therapy addresses the thinking skills that underlie communication: attention, memory, organization, reasoning, and problem-solving. Patients with traumatic brain injuries, post-surgical cognitive changes, or early-stage dementia often benefit from structured cognitive rehabilitation delivered in their home environment.

In the Rio Grande Valley, where over 90 percent of the population is Hispanic, bilingual speech therapy is essential. Our SLPs are fluent in both English and Spanish, conducting evaluations and treatment in the language the patient is most proficient in. This is particularly important for accurate assessment — testing a bilingual patient in only one language can lead to misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment.

We serve patients throughout McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco, Harlingen, and surrounding communities. Whether you need speech therapy after a stroke, help managing a swallowing disorder, or cognitive rehabilitation following surgery, our team is ready to help.