Red Flags for Adults

COMMUNICATION

  • Reduced articulatory skill or clarity
  • The need for accent reduction
  • Experiencing difficulties with fluency
  • Exhibiting signs of hesitation
  • Air and voice flow or maintenance of rate control
  • Experiencing reduced voice quality, pitch range or power
  • Reduced confidence in self expression or verbal ability
  • Difficulty processing information and memory function
  • Reduced speech or language function due to neurological impairment or stroke

SWALLOWING / FEEDING RED FLAGS FOR ADULT REFERRAL

  • Frequent coughing or choking on food or liquids
  • Hesitancy in swallowing food or fluid
  • Prolonged time frames for chewing and swallowing
  • Persistent, prolonged chewing of foodstuffs with delay in swallow initiation
  • Coughing during or immediately after eating or drinking
  • Pain during swallowing
  • `Wet` sound on voicing or taking breath
  • Drooling
  • Recurring chest infections or pneumonia
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Regurgitation
  • Significant food residue post swallow
  • Heart burn or epigastric discomfort

Resources

At Melbourne Speech Clinics we realise that professional terminology can be confusing. To help you, here is an array of terminology you may encounter. View Resources