Beyond Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is one way of recovering your speech after stroke.  But it isn't the only way.

There are other techniques you can use to help your speech recovery happen faster and easier.

One of these techniques is the Sensory Trigger Method.

The Sensory Trigger Method uses the healthy parts of your brain to help you relearn speech after stroke.

Unlike standard therapy, it is about learning words, not sounds.  This is probably one reason it is so successful.  Whole concepts are handled by the right side of your brain- the healthy part if you're suffering from aphasia.  It can be much easier to work with whole concepts than individual sounds when your left brain is damaged.  The left brain is the part damaged if you have aphasia or apraxia.

The Sensory Trigger Method also has the ability to help you where speech therapy will not.  If you've been told "You've reached a plateau" or "that's as far as you'll go" then this technique is probably for you.

The reason standard speech therapy hasn't worked could be because it uses that left brain primarily.  And if your left brain is damaged too much, it might not be able to recover like you want it to.  But involving your right brain could very well help you recover your speech after stroke.

Whatever your level of speech after stroke, don't get discouraged.  There is always some way you can improve your speech recovery.  The Sensory Trigger Method is one very powerful option.  It was developed by Barbara Schacker.

Barbara Schacker began developing the Sensory Trigger Method when her father suffered a massive stroke.  Not only was he unable to speak, he didn't appear to understand speech.  Despite geing told he would never speak again, 7 years after his stroke Barbara was able to establish communication with him again.  He learnt to speak again.

That began the formation of a program that has since helped over 50,000 people, including people with different apraxias, aphasias and dysgraphias.  It hase even helped people with global aphasia speak again.  This is thought to be the total permanent loss of speech after stroke.

One benefit of the Sensory Trigger Method is that you can do it anywhere in the world.  Now speech recovery after stroke is not limited by what therapists are near you.

You can find out more about the Sensory Trigger Technique by visiting Barbara's website about recovering speech after stroke.