About Avivit Ben-Aharon
Founder & Clinical Director at Great Speech Inc. | Providing Innovative Alternatives to Speech Pathology Services
Entries by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Overcoming Aphasia, Restoring Speech and Communication Skills After a Stroke
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
The term aphasia refers to the impairment or loss of word usage. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), while most individuals with aphasia are middle-aged or older, it can affect anyone, including young children. The National Aphasia Association notes that currently around 1 million Americans have aphasia, with approximately 180,000 new cases [...]
Speech Therapy Helps Slow Mild Cognitive Impairment
/ in Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease | Parkinson's Disease | Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Cognitive deficit, an inclusive term that is also used interchangeably with “cognitive impairment,” describes the different diminished areas of cognition or mental knowledge and understanding. Cognitive deficit is not limited to any particular disease or condition but may indicate someone’s underlying long or short-term health condition which could be progressive and permanent. Mild cognitive [...]
Virtual Speech Therapy Supports Recovery and Survivorship for People with Head and Neck Cancer
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
It’s encouraging to learn that the road to recovering speech and communications skills impacted by head and neck cancer — tongue cancer, esophagus cancer, mouth cancer or brain tumors — can be eased with the introduction of virtual speech therapy. Recognizing June 4th as National Cancer Survivor Day and June 8th as World Brain Tumor Day, [...]
Virtual Speech Therapy Improves Prison Rehabilitation Programs
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Great Speech has proudly been serving juvenile detention centers in Florida for over six years, providing online speech therapy conducted by licensed Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) for a multitude of young people with speech and communication challenges. Today, the Great Speech team looks forward to serving adults in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) [...]
Transportation Barriers Disrupt Clinic Appointments for Speech Therapy: Virtual Sessions Overcome Challenges, Impact Health
/ in Speech Disorders & Articulation | Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Transportation significantly impacts health, well-being and quality of life. It is also key to addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) as transportation barriers often impact travel to brick-and-mortar office appointments for speech therapy. When there’s limited or no access to public transit services or use of a vehicle, further complicated by long distances and [...]
CDC Reports 1 in 36 Children Diagnosed with Autism, Signals Growing Need for Speech Therapy
/ in Children Diagnosed with Autism | Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Setting off alarms to healthcare payers, providers and patients/families nationwide, the most recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network was released in March 2023: based on data from 8-year-olds in 2020, 1 in 36 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This [...]
Communication Challenges Impact Older Adults: Social Relationships, Isolation, Loneliness, Medical Conditions
/ in Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Older people who can’t express their thoughts or feelings and have difficulty communicating with friends and family may have a higher risk of social isolation and loneliness. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified this as an important – yet neglected – social determinant of health (SDOH). When seniors can’t communicate, many become reclusive, depressed [...]
New Partnership with Health Network One Adds Access to Great Speech Virtual Speech Therapy Services for Members, Expands Specialty Care Services
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Building on our impressive number of new contracts with health plans, Great Speech is now partnering with Health Network One, a leader in specialty healthcare network management serving Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans. More than 5 million members nationwide now have access to in-network specialized speech therapy services. Plans that are included in [...]
The Connection Between Hearing Loss & Speech Development
/ in School Success & Reading Comprehension / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Hearing loss can have significant effects on the development of a child’s speech and language skills and cause speech and language delays. When a child experiences hearing loss, the areas of the brain that are used for communication may not develop as they should. This typically results in difficulties in understanding others and speaking [...]
Virtual Speech Therapy Can Help Adults Reach Their Communication Goals
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
The ability to communicate effectively is an important part of everyday life. Adults may have specific communication goals, whether it’s speaking more confidently in public, improving articulation or even addressing a life-long speech impediment. However, attending in-person speech therapy sessions may not be feasible for everyone due to busy schedules, transportation challenges, mobility issues [...]
Summertime is a Great Time for Speech Therapy Activities
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Summer offers the perfect window for children and adults alike to make progress on their communication goals. Summertime often means shifting into a lower, slower gear with life becoming less stressful and more relaxing. It’s traditionally a time to recharge and relax, but it also offers a time to support children’s communication skills [...]
Virtual Speech Therapy is a Proven Tool to Address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), Improve Quality of Life
/ in Virtual Speech Therapy / by Avivit Ben-Aharon
As successful healthcare delivery shifts away from the long-time volume-based delivery model, wellness is a powerful tool demanded to control costs. A core group of socioeconomic factors are responsible for 40% of a patient’s health. Treating SDOH helps people overcome adversity that degrades their wellness. Virtual speech therapy addresses three SDOH indicators: * Patient education [...]