Speech targets the physical production of sounds, which includes articulation (how sounds are made with the mouth), voice (use of vocal cords and breathing), and fluency/prosody (the rhythm, intonation, and flow of speech).

For pediatric populations, targeting speech often involves improving articulation of specific sounds to increase intelligibility, or addressing fluency disorders like stuttering.

For geriatric populations, speech goals frequently focus on maintaining or strengthening voice projection and clarity (e.g., due to vocal cord changes or neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease), or improving articulation following events like stroke.

Language involves the rules and symbols used to communicate meaning, encompassing both receptive language (understanding what is heard or read) and expressive language (using words, grammar, and social rules to share thoughts).

For pediatric populations, language therapy targets acquiring new vocabulary, using correct sentence structure, and developing social communication skills like turn-taking and topic maintenance.

For geriatric populations, intervention often addresses cognitive-communication deficits (e.g., memory, problem-solving, attention) and acquired language disorders like aphasia (difficulty understanding or expressing language), typically with a focus on functional communication for daily independence.

Feeding and swallowing, medically termed Dysphagia, focuses on the safe and efficient process of getting food and liquid from the mouth to the stomach.

For the pediatric population, intervention targets difficulties with oral-motor skills, sensory tolerance of different textures, and challenging mealtime behaviors, with the ultimate goal of establishing age-appropriate feeding skills and a positive association with food.

For the geriatric population, intervention typically addresses dysphagia caused by stroke or progressive neurological conditions, using both rehabilitative exercises to strengthen swallowing muscles and compensatory strategies to ensure the safest, least restrictive diet possible, thus maintaining nutrition and quality of life.