The practice provides speech therapy services to patients in Pretoria. Both in-hospital patients and out-patients are seen. Patients are referred primarily by Ear-, Nose- and Throat Specialists, Surgeons, Neurologists and Specialist Physicians.
We work closely with different medical professions as well as our allied medical colleagues including radiography, physiotherapy and dietetics. We also do selective home visits in Pretoria for patients unable to travel to our offices.
Leanie Engelbrecht Speech Therapy offers the following services:
- Assessment and treatment of communication and swallowing in adult patients with:
- Neurological disorders
- Voice Disorders
- Head and Neck Cancer (pre- & post-surgery & radiation)
- Complex medical conditions
- Assessment and treatment of speech and language disorders in pre-school children
- Paediatric Dysphagia
- Communication intervention in neurodivergent paediatrics (e.g. Autism, Cerebral Palsy)
- AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
We have a special interest in:
Dysphagia
Voice disorders
Critical/ICU care
Head and Neck Cancer
Videofluoroscopy & F.E.E.S.
Neurological disorders
Pretoria Head and Neck Cancer Support Group
The group was founded by Dr Kobus Venter (ENT-specialist) and Leanie Engelbrecht in 2016. Patients after total laryngectomy or other major head and neck cancer surgery meets once a month at UNITAS Hospital for social support. Family members are welcomed and included in the group. The group is facilitated by Leanie and occasional guest speakers are invited as requested by the group. The group also provides the opportunity for follow-up on any speech valve related questions or difficulties.
The group also has a WhatsApp-group platform for mutual support and speech therapy related questions.
For more information, please contact Leanie directly at leanie@leaniespeech.co.za
FAQ's
Dysphagia is the medical term for swallowing difficulties.
Some people with dysphagia have problems swallowing certain foods or liquids, while others can’t swallow at all. Other signs of dysphagia include: coughing or choking when eating or drinking and bringing food back up, (sometimes through the nose).
Dysphonia is the medical term for voice disorders. Voice disorders can present in different ways, e.g., hoarseness (a raspy/rough voice), pitch changes, or sometimes loss of voice. The cause of voice disorders varies and may be due to a growth on the vocal cords (organic), unhealthy voice practices (functional) or psychological (in the absence of an organic or functional cause).
This points to a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) test is a procedure used to assess how well you swallow. During the procedure, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) passes a thin, flexible instrument through your nose. Then the SLP views parts of your throat as you swallow.
