Austin Speech Labs Inc.

Results: Over the last 15 years, Austin Speech Labs: - Provided over 210,000 hours of affordable and intensive speech, language, and cognitive therapy to over 5,000 enrolled stroke survivors, helping them return to their social and professional lives, and improving their quality of life. - Increased stroke awareness and post-stroke recovery education by training approximately 2,500 volunteers across Austin and around the country. - Started our Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Program , which has trained over 100 future therapists from universities around the country. - Launched our App, Phonology: Speech Therapy. Making speech therapy accessible beyond therapy time and to stroke survivors outside of Austin Speech Labs. - Conducted research studies in collaboration with UT Austin and other universities to understand neurological changes and language recovery post stroke. Our research studies helped us develop effective treatment techniques.

Target demographics: Adult stroke survivors and caregivers.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 576 stroke survivors and their caregivers.

Geographic areas served: Texas, primarily Central Texas

Programs: All clients at Austin Speech Labs are enrolled in our Speech and Cognitive Therapy Boot Camps. These camps offer stroke survivors high-quality, intensive, and affordable speech and cognitive therapy. The Boot Camps are eight-week sessions held five times a year. Clients participate in therapy each week on a set schedule, receiving up to 15 hours of therapy per week. We provide individual, group, and computer therapy. If clients are unable to come to our Austin office, they may receive teletherapy over Zoom. All teletherapy clients must be located in Texas. The various types of therapy at Austin Speech Labs target key areas, including reading, writing, auditory processing, automatic speech, memory, cognition, conversation, vocabulary, and language. Volunteers assist licensed Speech-Language Pathologists during therapy. Between each Boot Camp session, clients have breaks to absorb and practice what they have learned and to decide with their caregivers if they want to continue therapy in the next Boot Camp session. In 2023, we are offering Mini-Camps during the breaks for those who want to continue therapy. Therapy is not offered outside of the Boot Camps or Mini-Camps.