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