The Best speech therapy exercises for adults

Speech therapy is the mainstay treatment for speech and language disorders. This therapy primarily consists of exercises and activities targeted at articulation, reading, writing, word-retrieval,  fluency, coherence, comprehension, and speech production. Speech-language pathologists use these structured techniques and tools to help improve speech and language skills by leveraging the brain’s ability to form new neural connections (1) after a brain injury. For instance, through repeated and targeted speech therapy, a person with aphasia can improve language comprehension or relearn how to speak after a stroke.

Key Takeaways

• Speech language exercises and activities constitute the major aspect of speech therapy.
• SLP exercises use the brain’s neuroplasticity to improve language and communication skills.
• These exercises target different aspects of speech, including speech production, listening, comprehension, and writing.
• Although science-based, these speech-language exercises are only effective when they are targeted and consistent.

10 Best Speech Therapy Exercises For Adults

Here, we have gathered the ten best speech therapy exercises for adults pulled from a database of over 300 million completed exercises on the Constant Therapy platform. These exercises are evidence-based and were developed by speech-language pathologists.

1.    Match Pictures

This exercise features six grids of pictures, each with three pairs of similar images scattered randomly. They usually contain images of objects, animals, people, or actions.

How it works:

• Six grids of pictures will be displayed in two rows
• Click one grid to view the picture briefly
• Click other grids to match the first picture in the shortest possible tries
• Then, repeat this process for the other pictures until you’ve successfully matched the pictures.

Benefits

This exercise helps to boost the visual memory of individuals with speech or language disorders like aphasia and apraxia of speech. It is also suitable for people who develop cognitive deficits following a brain injury.

2.    Follow the instructions you hear

The “follow the instructions you hear” exercise involves following a set of simple audio instructions.

How it works:

• Two separate grids of pictures will be displayed on the screen
• Listen to the instructions
• Follow the instructions given
• The instructions typically involve dragging an image from one grid to the next and arranging it based on the instructions given.

You can listen to the instructions as much as you want. You can also click the images to hear the name of the object in the picture if you can’t recognize it or remember its name.

Benefit

This exercise is beneficial for individuals with comprehension problems. It improves your auditory memory, listening comprehension, and everyday skills.

3.    Repeat a Pattern

The “repeat a pattern” exercise features a set of 16 grids and an audio instruction.

How it works:

• A set of 16 grids will be displayed on the screen
• Click the play button at the top left to listen to the instructions
• Watch the pattern displayed on the screen
• Then, repeat the pattern
• Continue until you have correctly repeated the pattern for all the grids. ‘

This pattern often involves a set of four or more color patterns displayed within seconds. You must watch the pattern attentively to successfully repeat it.

Benefit

It helps to enhance visuospatial processing, visual memory, and attention through remembering and retracing patterns from memory.

4.    Put Steps in Order

The “put steps in order” exercise utilizes analytical reasoning to arrange various steps in the right order.

How it works:

• A set of steps for common everyday activities will be displayed on the screen, with the specific activity displayed. i.e.., “How to refill your prescription”
• Read through the steps
• Drag the steps into the empty boxes and arrange them in the order you think they should be done.

Benefits

As you arrange these written steps in order, it sharpens your ability to plan other activities, thereby improving everyday skills and independence. It also boosts your reading skills.

5.    Understand the Stories you hear

This auditory memory exercise involves listening to short stories and answering follow-up questions afterwards

How it works:

• Click the play button displayed on the left side of the screen to listen to the short story.
• Then, answer three or more questions on different aspects of the story.

Benefits

The more you repeat this activity, the better you’re able to engage in day-to-day conversations with family, friends, and loved ones. This exercise helps to improve your listening, auditory memory, and comprehension skills.

6.    Name Pictures

The “name pictures” exercise is a simple speech exercise that is beneficial to adults with cognitive, language, and speech disorders.

How it works:

• A picture of an object will be displayed on your screen – take your time to think about the word and practice saying it.
• Tap “Start” and say the name of the object into your phone’s microphone, clearly and loudly.
• Then, tap “Stop.”
• If you can’t remember the word, tap the “Get help” button to get clues or hints.
• If you get it wrong, click “Try again” to make another attempt.
• Click the “replay” button to hear your recording.

Benefits

As you name the presented images correctly, you boost your word-retrieval skills, naming, speaking, and everyday skills. It improves the flow of your day-to-day conversations and helps you remember words faster.

7.    Read a Paragraph

As the name implies, this simple reading exercise targets your reading skills through simple paragraphs and questions.

How it works:

• A short paragraph will be displayed on the left side of the screen
• Read through the paragraph carefully
• Answer the questions displayed on the right side of the screen by tapping the correct one

Benefit

The “read a paragraph” exercise enhances your reading comprehension and everyday skills.

8.    Do Clock Math

This simple visuospatial processing exercise challenges your math skills through time-based calculation using an analog clock and simple calculation questions.

How it works:

• Read the instructions displayed at the top left of the screen
• Study the clock and take note of the time displayed.
• Pick the correct answer from the options displayed on the right side of your screen.
• If you need to calculate or make notes, click the pen and paper button at the lower right.

Benefits

This is significantly different from the other exercises listed. This exercise challenges and improves your quantitative reasoning, everyday skills, and visuospatial processing. As you answer the math questions associated with the clock, you improve your time-based calculation skills.

9.    Say Words in a Category

This medium-level speech exercise is a great activity for individuals with fluency and word-finding difficulties. It requires you to correctly identify and say words in a specific category.

How it works:

• Tap the play button at the upper-left corner of the screen to listen to the instructions

OR

• Read the instructions displayed on the screen.
• Then, tap the play button below the instructions to listen to the words.
• Next, click “START” and list the words in the category specified.
• Click “Try again” if you get it wrong.

Benefit

It enhances auditory memory, naming, word retrieval, speaking, and fluency. This automatically influences conversations, making them more seamless and natural. Saying these words aloud also helps to improve pronunciation, vocabulary, articulation, and confidence while speaking. Several studies (2) have shown that reading aloud can facilitate recovery in people with chronic aphasia.

10. Find Alternating Words

This exercise features random words scattered across the screen in upper and lowercase to be arranged alphabetically. Although it may seem difficult at first, you can easily get the hang of it after one or two attempts.

How it works:

• Tap the play button at the upper-left corner of the screen to listen to the instructions

OR

• Read the instructions displayed on the screen.
• Click on the words in alphabetical order while alternating between the upper and lowercase words.

Simply put, in alphabetical order, tap the upper-case word that comes first among the upper-case words, then repeat the same for the lower-case words. Continue to tap and alternate until you’re finished.

Benefits

This cognitive exercise heightens your attention to visual details while improving planning, analytical reasoning, flexibility, and visuospatial processing.

Do Speech Therapy Exercises work?

Yes! However, these exercises need to be recommended or relevant to your specific speech or language difficulties. Speech therapy exercises are effective treatment tools for individuals with speech or language disorders or difficulty, and often serve as the primary aspect of speech therapy. They address several aspects of speech and language, including naming, listening, speaking, comprehension, word-retrieval, and fluency. When done correctly and consistently, they can significantly improve communication skills and abilities and speech production.

Conclusion

While the exercises listed are effective and useful, they’ll only produce results if they’re tailored to meet your specific needs. Apps like Constant Therapy help to assess you and recommend science-based speech and language therapy exercises and activities that address your communication difficulties. These exercises can be conducted during physical or virtual therapy sessions under the guidance of your speech-language pathologists (SLPs), at home, or while waiting for an SLP appointment. Try out these exercises for free here!

Written by: Dr. Ori Otokpa, MBBS

Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Danielle Kelvas, MD

References

1. Kiran, S., & Thompson, C. K. (2019). Neuroplasticity of Language networks in Aphasia: advances, updates, and future challenges. Frontiers in Neurology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00295

Cherney, L. R., Lee, J. B., Kim, K. A., & Van Vuuren, S. (2021). Web-based Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia (Web ORLA®): A pilot randomized control trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 35(7), 976–987. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215520988475