Speech therapy exercises: Which exercises are the best for your impairment level

A guide to Constant Therapy’s cognitive and speech therapy exercises by impairment levels

Have you ever wondered what makes speech therapy exercises effective? It’s the synergy of the exercise type and difficulty level! Whether you’re a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or a client seeking speech therapy services, picking the right level of difficulty in exercises is key to success.

Speech therapy exercises that are too easy won’t maximize the potential benefits, while those that are too difficult can be overwhelming and discouraging. The sweet spot? A difficulty level that is challenging yet achievable, thereby fostering gains and keeping motivation high. Read on as we delve into how selecting the right level for your Constant Therapy speech therapy exercises can ensure that every session propels you closer to your goals.

Understanding speech therapy exercise difficulty levels

While some of the more challenging exercises within the Constant Therapy program have just one level of difficulty, many of the 69 individual exercises have anywhere from three to 10 different levels of difficulty. This diversity allows for personalized therapy tailored to each user’s needs. Each level has a specific criteria built into the programming that makes it slightly more challenging than the level before it. For instance, in Constant Therapy’s  “Follow Instructions You Hear” exercise, the complexity increases with more pictures and verbal prompts as the level increases.

Constant Therapy’s Recommended exercises by impairment level guide is designed to help patients and clinicians make informed decisions about appropriate exercise levels based on level of impairment. You can find the guide here.

Constant Therapy’s Recommended Exercises by Impairment Level guide.

Please keep in mind that although this guide gives broad recommendations based on the difficulty level of each exercise, the following are not strict definitions, but guidelines.  We recommend that you work with your clinician to determine your “level.”

Mild Impairments: Speech therapy exercises 

Pictured are the recommended exercises for mild impairment, colored in blue.

Individuals with mild speech and cognitive impairments often focus on enhancing skills like following complex instructions, retaining multiple pieces of information, and understanding detailed texts. Their goals might also include performing functional tasks that require more independent participation and community involvement.  The higher difficulty levels of many speech therapy exercises within Constant Therapy may be more appropriate for individuals that fall in this category.

Where to start: Suggested exercises for individuals with mild impairments:

• “Repeat a Pattern” (Level 8)
• “Follow Instructions You Hear” (Level 10)

For a more comprehensive look at all of the recommended exercises and their associated levels of difficulty, please see the complete exercise guide below.

Moderate impairments: Speech therapy exercises

Pictured are the recommended exercises for moderate impairment, colored in purple.

People with moderate impairments might seek support from speech therapy for challenges across different speech, language, and cognitive areas.This therapy might focus on  clear speech production (intelligibility), spelling words and short phrases, reading and comprehending words and short sentences, or telling time. Speech therapy exercises within the lower to middle ranges of difficulty are often the most effective for these individuals.

Where to start: Suggested exercises for individuals with moderate impairments

• “Name Verbs” (Level 3)
• “Say Words in a Category” (Level 2)
• “Remember Spoken Words in Order (N-Back)” (Level 1)

Severe impairments: Speech therapy exercises

Pictured are the recommended exercises for severe impairment, colored in pink.

Users with severe impairments usually target improving fundamental language skills such as articulating single words, imitating speech from another person, matching single words to their picture representation, or recognizing similarities in sounds across words. Oftentimes the lower levels of difficulty in speech therapy exercises  are  the most appropriate for individuals with severe impairments, as these tasks lay the groundwork for more advanced skills.

Where to start: Suggested exercises for individuals with severe impairments: 

• “Match Sounds” (Level 1)
• “Imitate Words” (Level 2)
• “Remember the Right Card” (Level 1)

For SLPs: How to select speech therapy exercise levels  

SLPS can use the exercise guide as a springboard to find the best starting level for a client’s speech therapy exercises after evaluating strengths, needs, and current level of functioning.

As a friendly reminder: if there are ever any questions regarding level selection, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service team, which has familiarity with the levels and would be happy to answer any questions!

For clients: How to select speech therapy exercise levels

If you’re a client using Constant Therapy independently, or were using the program with an SLP and have since been discharged from their services, you might wonder how to adjust the difficulty of your speech therapy exercises to match your evolving needs. The good news is that Constant Therapy is powered by an AI-based NeuroPerformance Engine, which analyzes your performance and dynamically adjusts the difficulty of your exercises. So, all you really need to do is continue to complete your Constant Therapy program, and the program does the work of making sure you’re working at the right level!

That said, if you feel that the level you’re being provided is not appropriate for your needs, you can always call the Customer Service team at Constant Therapy, which can assist you with any issue you may be facing! You’ll just need your client ID and an idea as to what level of exercise you’d like to try—we’ll help you set the rest up!

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how both clinicians and clients can determine appropriate levels for speech therapy exercises within Constant Therapy! Understanding and selecting the right level of difficulty in your exercises can significantly impact your progress toward your communication goals. Constant Therapy is committed to simplifying this process for both clinicians and clients, taking some of the guesswork out of the equation so you can focus on the journey ahead of you!

Give Constant Therapy a try for free. Click here to start your 14-day trial today.