Speech therapy for adults is a different field than what most people picture. This is not articulation practice for children. Our speech-language pathologists treat patients who lost the ability to find words after a stroke. Patients whose speech muscles are too weak to form clear sounds. Patients who choke on water because their swallow reflex was damaged by surgery or a neurological event. Patients who can speak clearly but can’t follow a conversation because their brain no longer processes language at normal speed. Each of these problems has a different cause, a different evaluation, and a different treatment pathway. At Dolphin Pointe, our SLP team identifies the specific breakdown and builds a plan that targets the root cause — not just the symptom. We work inside a full rehabilitation center in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood, which means your speech therapist coordinates directly with our physical therapy and occupational therapy teams when your recovery crosses disciplines. For stroke and brain injury patients, it almost always does. We serve both inpatient and outpatient clients from across Jacksonville.

Speech and swallowing problems sometimes show up suddenly after a medical event. Other times they develop gradually and families don’t realize how much has changed. If any of these describe you or a family member, a speech-language evaluation can identify the problem and start treatment before it gets worse.

Our speech therapy program covers the full scope of adult communication and swallowing rehabilitation. For patients with aphasia — the loss of ability to find, form, or understand words after stroke or brain injury — we use intensive language exercises, picture-based communication tools, and real-world conversation practice to rebuild language skills. For patients with dysarthria — slurred or unclear speech from muscle weakness — we use oral motor exercises, breathing coordination drills, and pacing techniques to restore clarity. Voice therapy for patients with vocal cord weakness from Parkinson’s, intubation damage, or head and neck surgery rounds out our communication programs. Every session is one-on-one with a licensed speech-language pathologist. Patients from Arlington, University Park, and Fairways Forest work with our SLP team on communication goals that matter in real life — being understood on the phone, ordering food at a restaurant, and talking with grandchildren.

Our swallowing disorder therapy program is one of the most clinically significant services in our entire facility. Dysphagia — difficulty swallowing — affects up to half of all stroke survivors and a large percentage of patients recovering from head and neck procedures. When the muscles that control swallowing weaken or lose coordination, food and liquid can enter the airway instead of the stomach. This is called aspiration. It leads to aspiration pneumonia, which is one of the most common causes of hospital readmission for stroke patients in Florida. Our speech pathologists evaluate swallow function, determine which food and liquid textures are safe, and build a progressive exercise program to strengthen the swallow reflex. For inpatient residents, our SLP team coordinates with nursing staff on safe eating protocols between sessions — so swallow safety is monitored at every meal, not just during therapy. Families from Colony Cove, Woodmere, and Springfield are referred to us by neurologists, ENT specialists, and hospital discharge teams across northeast Florida.

We also treat cognitive-linguistic deficits — the thinking and processing skills that communication and daily function depend on. Attention, memory, sequencing, reasoning, and problem-solving can all be disrupted by stroke and brain injury. Our speech therapists use structured cognitive exercises, real-world task practice, and compensatory strategies to rebuild these skills or teach new approaches when full recovery isn’t possible. This cognitive rehabilitation work pairs directly with our occupational therapy program — OT addresses the physical side of daily tasks while speech therapy addresses the cognitive side. For patients from San Marco, Riverside, Mandarin, and across Duval County recovering from neurological events, this combination is often what makes the difference between returning home independently and needing long-term assistance.

Adult speech therapy is one of the hardest rehabilitation services to find in Jacksonville. The majority of speech-language pathology practices in Duval County specialize in pediatric populations — childhood articulation, developmental language delays, autism spectrum disorders, and school-based therapy. Adult speech therapy for stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s, and swallowing disorders requires different training, different evaluation tools, and a different clinical environment. At Dolphin Pointe, our speech-language pathologists work exclusively with adult patients in a rehabilitation setting built for neurological and post-surgical recovery.

That setting makes a clinical difference. Our inpatient speech therapy patients receive sessions daily — not twice a week like a typical outpatient schedule. Our SLP team coordinates with nursing staff on swallowing safety protocols at every meal. Our therapists share a building and patient records with our physical therapy and occupational therapy teams, which means your speech plan connects to your full recovery — not a separate clinic with separate records that don’t talk to each other. For stroke patients in the critical first weeks of recovery, this intensity and coordination is what the research shows drives the strongest outcomes. Our partnership with Jacksonville University keeps our SLP team current on the latest evidence-based protocols for aphasia treatment, dysphagia management, and cognitive-linguistic rehabilitation.

We serve patients from Arlington, University Park, Fairways Forest, Colony Cove, Woodmere, Gilmore, Lake Lucina, Springfield, San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Mandarin, Regency, Orange Park, Southside, Downtown Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach. We accept most major insurance plans, including Medicare. Call 904-914-8801 to schedule a speech-language evaluation.

Speech therapy feels unfamiliar to most patients. Here’s exactly what happens so there are no surprises.

1. Referral and scheduling. Your physician, neurologist, ENT, or hospital discharge planner sends a referral. Our admissions team verifies insurance and schedules your evaluation — typically within a few days for outpatient, same-day for inpatient admissions.

2. Speech-language evaluation. Your speech pathologist spends about an hour assessing your speech clarity, language comprehension, word-finding ability, voice quality, cognitive processing speed, and swallow function. This is not a quick screening. It’s a detailed evaluation that identifies exactly where the breakdowns are and how severe each one is.

3. Treatment plan with real-world goals. Based on your evaluation, your therapist sets goals that matter in daily life — “able to be understood by family members 80 percent of the time,” “able to swallow thin liquids safely,” “able to follow a three-step recipe.” You’ll know what you’re working toward at every session and how progress is measured.

4. One-on-one treatment sessions. Every session is with your assigned speech-language pathologist — no group sessions, no rotating staff. Inpatient residents receive daily therapy. Outpatient clients typically attend two to three sessions per week. Your therapist adjusts exercises, strategies, and difficulty level as you progress.

5. Discharge and home carryover plan. When you’ve met your goals, your therapist provides a home practice program and communication strategies for your family to reinforce. If swallowing was part of your treatment, you receive clear written guidelines on safe food textures and eating techniques. If cognitive rehabilitation was part of your plan, you receive structured exercises to continue at home. Your family is included in the discharge conversation so everyone knows the plan.

Dolphin Pointe Health Care is a Florida licensed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility that has been serving Jacksonville since 2020. Our patients and their families consistently rate us 5 stars on Google. We accept most major insurance plans including Medicare. See what our families say — then come see the facility for yourself. Visit our homepage to learn more about everything we offer.

The brain’s ability to rewire after a stroke or injury is strongest in the early weeks and months. The sooner speech therapy starts, the better the outcome. If you or a family member is struggling with speech, swallowing, or cognitive-linguistic skills, call us today to schedule an evaluation. We serve patients from Arlington, University Park, Springfield, San Marco, Riverside, Mandarin, Orange Park, Regency, Downtown Jacksonville, and the Beaches communities.

Dolphin Pointe Health Care
5355 Dolphin Point Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32211
Phone: 904-914-8801
Open 24 Hours