Areas of Care

Speech-Language Pathology

On this page:

Overview

Speech-Language Pathologists want to improve your ability to communicate and swallow. 

Our Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide assessments and recommendations for adults who have difficulty communicating or swallowing. These challenges can happen after a wide variety of conditions such as:

  • Stroke or brain injury.
  • Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Dementia or other degenerative disease.  
  • Due to cancer or the treatment for cancer.  
  • After a prolonged time in the Intensive Care Unit.

Our team works with you, your family and your care providers to find practical solutions that help improve function and reduce limitations affecting your ability to be active and participate in everyday life. 

A person in a blue shirt sits in an office setting and demonstrates a hand gesture as part of a speech‑language therapy session.

Team

Our Speech-Language Pathologists are highly trained professionals with a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. They are registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), which is the regulatory body for the profession in Ontario.

Many SLPs at The Ottawa Hospital are specifically trained and qualified to perform the following:

  • Videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS).
  • Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).
  • Management of tracheoesophageal voice prostheses following total laryngectomy. 

Team leaders

Placeholder image for a user profile.

Avital Winer, M.Sc. SLP (C), Reg. CASLPO

Professional Practice Manager
Placeholder image for a user profile.

Adrianna Mcgee

Speech Pathologist 1

How we help

Inpatients

We provide services to inpatients who need help with:

  • Understanding, speaking, remembering, and thinking after a stroke or brain injury.
  • Swallowing food and liquids when swallowing is difficult.
  • Speaking and swallowing when affected by cancer or its treatment, or when a tracheotomy tube is in place.
  • Communicating with others when living with progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) or Alzheimer’s disease.
  • When swallowing problems need further investigation, we may use instrumental assessments such as VFSS, an x-ray taken while eating and drinking, or FEES, which uses a small camera to see what happens when swallowing. 

Outpatients

We provide services to outpatients who need help with:

  • Swallowing difficulties (may include VFSS).
  • Communication changes after laryngectomy (including tracheoesophageal voice restoration).
  • Using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
  • Voice disorders (assessment only).
  • Communication and thinking challenges following a brain injury.

Referrals

Icon Male Doctor

Want to be referred to an SLP?

If you think an SLP can help you, speak to your physician or other member of your health-care team about being referred to one. All patients must have a valid provincial health card.

Referral process (Inpatients)

All inpatients need to be referred by a physician or other health-care professional.

Referral process (outpatients)

A physician with admitting privileges at The Ottawa Hospital must refer you for an outpatient swallowing consultation, including a videofluoroscopic swallow study, at the General or Civic campuses.

Referrals are accepted from doctors at The Ottawa Hospital for patients receiving cancer treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy/immunotherapy. 

Voice disorders are assessed and managed through a multidisciplinary ear nose and throat (ENT) clinic. Patients needing voice therapy should be referred to a private practice SLP. Those needing a laryngeal assessment should be referred to ENT. 

Referrals are only accepted from doctors at TOHRC. Referrals to a physiatrist (rehabilitation doctor) can be made by physicians at The Ottawa Hospital or in the community. These referrals must include the reason for SLP services and a request for a Physiatry assessment. 

Please fax TOHRC referrals to

613 733-8336

Contact us

613-737-8899 ext. 71348

613-739-6164

Speech-Language Pathology – Civic Campus

200 Melrose Avenue (Grimes Lodge)
4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario  K1Y 4E9 

Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology – General Campus

2nd Floor, Module O
501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario  K1H 8L6 

Speech-Language Pathology – TOHRC

505 Smyth Road, Ottawa ON  K1H 8M2