Carianne Vermeulen Speech Therapists Inc.

Carianne Vermeulen Speech Therapists Inc. We offer a range of independent, dedicated speech and language therapy services aimed at children and adults.

The therapists at Carianne Vermeulen Speech & Language Therapists offer a range of dedicated speech and language therapy services aimed at children and adults in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. As Speech-Language Therapists we are concerned with the management of disorders of speech, language, cognition (thought processes), or physical processes such as swallowing in both children and adults.

Switching on a cochlear implant is an emotional milestone — but it's rarely the magic moment films suggest. For most adu...
15/08/2026

Switching on a cochlear implant is an emotional milestone — but it's rarely the magic moment films suggest. For most adults, the first sounds are strange, mechanical, almost robotic. The brain, after years of reduced hearing, has to learn to make sense of an entirely new signal.

That relearning is where aural rehabilitation comes in, and it's a part of speech therapy many people don't know about.

After implantation, I work with adults to retrain the brain to interpret sound. We start with distinguishing simple sounds, then build towards understanding speech — first in quiet, then in noise, then in real-life conversation. We practise listening strategies, work on the rhythm and clarity of the person's own speech, and rebuild the confidence that hearing loss so often erodes.

It's a gradual process, and progress is deeply personal. But with structured practice, the robotic sounds resolve into meaning, and conversation becomes possible again.

If you or a loved one is considering or has received a cochlear implant, know that the device is the beginning — and rehabilitation is what unlocks its full promise.

If you or a loved one has been referred for a swallowing assessment, the unknown can feel daunting. Here's what to expec...
07/08/2026

If you or a loved one has been referred for a swallowing assessment, the unknown can feel daunting. Here's what to expect, step by step — and why each part matters for keeping you safe and eating with confidence.

Thank you, Rudolph — good to hear the sessions have been useful.Vocal fatigue is one of those complaints people tend to ...
03/08/2026

Thank you, Rudolph — good to hear the sessions have been useful.

Vocal fatigue is one of those complaints people tend to live with rather than treat. The voice tires by mid-morning. It thins out by the end of a teaching day or a long stretch on calls. Recovery overnight takes a little longer each week. Most people put it down to talking too much and assume rest will sort it out.

Rest does help. But if the underlying pattern hasn't changed — how breath, larynx and resonance are working together — the fatigue returns the moment the workload does.

That's the gap voice therapy fills. Assessment comes first: what's actually happening when you speak, what's compensating for what, and whether an ENT referral is needed to rule out anything structural. From there, targeted exercises retrain the mechanism rather than simply resting it.

Rudolph noticed a shift early on. That isn't unusual — small technical corrections can feel different almost immediately. The durable part takes longer and varies from person to person, depending on the cause and how consistently the exercises are done between appointments.

When communication falters, independence quietly slips away with it. The ability to ask for what you need, make a decisi...
25/07/2026

When communication falters, independence quietly slips away with it. The ability to ask for what you need, make a decision heard, share a memory, or simply join a conversation — these are the threads of an independent life.

That's why I see communication therapy as far more than speech exercises. It's about restoring someone's place in their own life: at the dinner table, on the phone with family, in decisions about their own care.

Every word regained, every strategy mastered, every successful exchange is a step back towards autonomy. That's what drives this work — not perfect speech, but a fuller, freer life.

If a neurological condition has chipped away at someone's independence through their communication, there is real, practical help available.

p: 021 917 1570
Whatsapp: 060 619 6005
w: www.speech-therapist.co.za

This is one of the most common worries I hear, and the news is more reassuring than most people expect.Stroke and most t...
17/07/2026

This is one of the most common worries I hear, and the news is more reassuring than most people expect.

Stroke and most traumatic brain injuries qualify as Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) conditions. That means medical schemes are legally required to fund their treatment — including rehabilitation such as speech therapy — even if your day-to-day benefits for the year have run out.

The practice applies for PMB authorisation on your behalf, and we make sure the correct diagnostic codes are used, so the administrative side doesn't fall on you or your family during an already stressful time.

A few practical points. Some schemes ask for a referral letter from your doctor. The number of sessions authorised varies between schemes and conditions. And if your scheme uses a network of preferred providers, staying within that network usually means fuller cover.

Don't let uncertainty about funding delay therapy. The earlier rehabilitation starts, the better the outcomes tend to be. Ask us — we'll guide you through exactly what your plan allows.

This is a frightening symptom that's often misunderstood: sudden breathing difficulty, a tight throat, and a strained or...
11/07/2026

This is a frightening symptom that's often misunderstood: sudden breathing difficulty, a tight throat, and a strained or noisy voice — often triggered by exercise, strong smells or stress. Many people are treated for asthma for years before the real cause is found.

The condition is inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO), sometimes called vocal cord dysfunction. Instead of opening when you breathe in, the vocal cords move the wrong way and partially close the airway — hence the panic and the noise.

The good news is that it responds well to speech therapy. I teach breathing and laryngeal-release techniques that retrain the throat to relax and open on cue. If your "asthma" never responds to inhalers, it's worth exploring the larynx.

Most people associate stroke with losing words. But when a stroke affects the right side of the brain, language often st...
04/07/2026

Most people associate stroke with losing words. But when a stroke affects the right side of the brain, language often stays intact — while something subtler, and just as important, is disrupted.

Right hemisphere communication difficulties are easy to miss. The person speaks fluently, with correct grammar and vocabulary. Yet conversation feels "off." They may miss the point of a story, take jokes or sarcasm literally, talk at length without getting to the message, or struggle to read the room — tone of voice, facial expressions, the social rhythm of give and take.

There can also be challenges with attention, organising thoughts, and awareness of the difficulties themselves, which makes support from family especially valuable.

As a speech therapist, I work on exactly these skills: reading social cues, staying on topic, interpreting meaning beyond the literal words, and structuring thoughts clearly. These are the threads that hold real conversation together.

If a loved one's speech seems fine after a stroke but conversations have become frustrating or confusing, this may be why — and it's very much something we can help with.

When someone loses their ability to communicate, the most devastating loss is rarely the words themselves. It's the slow...
26/06/2026

When someone loses their ability to communicate, the most devastating loss is rarely the words themselves. It's the slow retreat from the conversations they used to own.

The dinner-table discussions they used to lead. The work meetings they used to contribute to. The chats with the grandchildren they used to treasure. Being able to communicate isn't about sound production. It is about occupying space in the world — being consulted, being understood, being the person you've always been.

This is why we do this work. Speech therapy isn't a luxury tacked onto medical recovery. It is the pathway back to being fully present again in the lives that matter.

If you or someone you love has quietly been stepping out of conversations since a stroke, brain injury or diagnosis — please get in touch. That retreat is not the final chapter.

📞 021 917 1570
💬 WhatsApp: 060 619 6005
🌐 www.speech-therapist.co.za

Adult speech therapy isn't only for people who've had a stroke. There are subtle, everyday signs that something deeper m...
19/06/2026

Adult speech therapy isn't only for people who've had a stroke. There are subtle, everyday signs that something deeper may be going on — and they are often dismissed as ageing, stress or tiredness. Here are four worth paying attention to.

Coughing on water isn't something to shrug off.It's often the first warning sign of dysphagia, a swallowing disorder.Swa...
13/06/2026

Coughing on water isn't something to shrug off.

It's often the first warning sign of dysphagia, a swallowing disorder.

Swallowing is not as simple as it feels. Roughly thirty muscles, several nerves and a tightly timed sequence have to work together to move liquid from mouth to stomach without a drop going down the wrong way. When any part of that sequence is disrupted - by a stroke, Parkinson's, dementia, ageing muscles or a neurological condition - water is usually the first thing to cause trouble. It's thin, fast and unforgiving.

Repeated coughing on thin fluids can lead to aspiration pneumonia, which is serious. The good news: a speech therapist can do a proper swallow assessment, identify exactly where the breakdown is happening, and recommend strategies — positional changes, modified textures, targeted exercises — that often make a real difference.

Don't wait for a chest infection to be the prompt. If someone you love is coughing on water more than occasionally, get them assessed.

📞 021 917 1570
💬 WhatsApp: 060 619 6005
🌐 www.speech-therapist.co.za

Address

Rooms In Brackenfell/Bellville/Sunningdale
Cape Town

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+27219171570

Website

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