Speech-Language Services

"Our family has been involved with the Speech Therapy Program due to our son's significant speech delays. We have been more than pleased with the service and care by the staff and students involved. They have not only helped give our son the help needed for him to communicate more clearly, but they have given us, his parents, the tools needed to continue that growth at home. They have partnered with us and truly care about our son's success. We have recommended this program to so many others and will continue to do so."
- Client Testimonial

The Davis Center aims to assist clients in reaching their communication goals. We offer guidance to all clients to improve the effectiveness of their communication, whatever form that takes. 

Services are available to children and adults and can be provided in individual, group, in-person, or telehealth formats. 

Licensed and certified Speech-Language Practitioners are assisted by Graduate Student Clinicians in an experiential learning environment. This allows for both high-quality clinical service and clinical education opportunities for future practitioners. 

Evaluation Services

Our Center offers comprehensive evaluation of numerous areas of communication including:

• developmental language and speech production (language, articulation, phonology) 
• social communication skills (reciprocal exchanges, topic maintenance, joint attention)
• pre-literacy and literacy development (including phonological awareness and impact of speech sound production)
• aphasia 
• cognitive-communication (including the impact of memory, attention, problem-solving, dementia, social participation, executive functioning) 
• voice needs (nodules, vocal cord dysfunction, volume, pitch, and resonance) 
• stuttering
• executive functioning concerns (attention, memory, reasoning, problem solving) 
• alternative and augmentative communication (low-tech methods and speech-generating devices) 

Intervention Services

We work with our clients and families to determine their communication goals that are affirming, relevant, and realistic with particular attention to the social-emotional impact of communication. Our experienced practitioners and graduate students are able to address any communication needs. This may include: 

• Improving speech sound production skills
• Developing comprehension and expression using language similar to same-age peers
• Addressing stuttering and impacts on social-emotional wellbeing
• Improving literacy skills
• Improving executive functioning skills
• Addressing the impact of stroke or brain injury on functional activities
• Developing affirming ways of social interaction with peers
• Programming or modifying an alternative communication device or tool
• Recovering comprehension and expression of language or cognitive skills like memory or attention
• Maintaining current skills with structured supports
• Caregiver training
• Aligning voice, resonance, and communication with a client’s identity and supporting well-being
• Or whatever goals are relevant to your individual communication needs. 

Specialty Areas

Along with general speech and language expertise, our practitioners have specialized training in the assessment and support of 

• stuttering (including the Sioris Family UMN Camp for Kids Who Stutter) 
• affirming voice and communication adaptation
• voice, swallowing, and cognitive changes with Parkinson’s Disease
• stroke and brain injury recovery
• Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for dementia
• language development of multilingual children
• literacy and language development 

Community Based Services

Our Center has collaborative partnerships with

• Local and rural school districts (speech & language services)
• Special Olympics MN (hearing screenings)
• independent and assistive living centers (Cognitive Skills groups)
• Sioris Family UMN Camp for Kids Who Stutter