![Therapy at Health Center Bon Bida. Therapy at Health Center Bon Bida.](https://www.bonbida.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/medical-collage-feb-21-2024.jpg)
Speech & Language Pathologist
Sentro Logopedia Bonaire
Speech therapy is a specialized field that deals with helping individuals who struggle with personal communication and swallowing. These difficulties can occur at any stage of life and can be caused by a variety of factors such as developmental disorders, trauma, neurological disorders, or old age. Speech therapy aims to prevent, treat, or limit the impact of these difficulties on an individual’s quality of life.
Speech Therapists can assist both children and adults.
Speech therapists work with both children and adults. In children, speech and language disorders can be a result of delayed development or other issues such as hearing impairment or cognitive disorders. The therapist helps children develop their communication skills through various techniques such as play therapy, language stimulation, and parent-child interaction. Additionally, speech therapists work with children who have feeding and swallowing difficulties to improve their nutrition and overall health.
In adults, speech therapy can be helpful for a variety of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain injury, or cancer. These conditions can affect an individual’s ability to communicate effectively and can also impact their ability to swallow safely. Speech therapists work to help individuals recover or improve their communication skills and to prevent complications related to swallowing difficulties.
Receive recommendations on how to manage conditions effectively.
Speech therapists provide more than just treatment for communication and swallowing disorders. They also provide advice and information to clients and their families about how to manage their conditions effectively. They may coach and guide clients in techniques to improve their communication or eating habits, and they may also recommend modifications to their environment to make it easier for them to communicate or swallow.
The Speech Therapist works as part of an interdisciplinary team.
The role of speech therapists is often interdisciplinary. They work closely with other healthcare professionals such as general practitioners, specialists, dentists, physiotherapists, dieticians, occupational therapists, and social workers to provide comprehensive care to their clients. For example, a speech therapist may collaborate with a physiotherapist to help an individual with Parkinson’s disease improve their speech and movement or work with a dietician to develop a feeding plan for an individual with swallowing difficulties.
The SLB team comprises Liselore (Lisa) Kieft, Mariska van Wijk, and Aafke Tankink, three highly enthusiastic and dedicated speech therapists. With their extensive knowledge and deep passion for their work, they create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that immediately puts their clients at ease. Their approach builds trust and confidence, allowing clients to work through their communication challenges with ease and comfort. Whether you’re dealing with a speech impediment, language disorder, or another communication difficulty, you can trust the SLB team to provide the guidance, support, and care you need to achieve your goals.
![Liselore Kieft](https://www.bonbida.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2022-06-25-19.00.14-kopie-scaled-250x250-1.jpg)
Liselore Kieft
Owner of Sentro Logopedia Bonaire
In 2017, Liselore established Sentro Logopedia Boneiru with a clear mission in mind: to help individuals, both adults and children, with communication and swallowing difficulties. The ability to communicate effectively and eat and drink safely are fundamental needs, and any hindrances in these areas can impact one’s participation in social and community life. Liselore believes that everyone should have equal opportunities to fulfill their potential, regardless of their unique challenges. By helping clients improve their communication and swallowing skills, they aim to enhance their quality of life and help them fully participate in the community.
![Mariska van Wijk](https://www.bonbida.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Mariska-slbsite1-250x250-1.jpg)
Mariska van Wijk
Sentro Logopedia Bonaire
Mariska van Wijk is a passionate speech therapist who graduated in Rotterdam in 2013. She enjoys helping children and adults with speech therapy to improve their communication skills. Mariska is constantly seeking new challenges in her field, such as teaching at a university in Shanghai during her third-year internship, completing a 3-month internship in dolphin therapy in Curaçao, and gaining knowledge and experience in ABA Therapy in Miami. Currently, she is pursuing further training to become a stuttering therapist and hopes to make a positive impact as an all-round speech therapist on the ABC islands.
![Aafke Tankink](https://www.bonbida.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Aafke-250x250-1.jpeg)
Aafke Tankink
Sentro Logopedia Bonaire
Aafke graduated in 2022 as a speech therapist at the Hogeschool van Arnhem, Nijmegen. After working at an all-round practice in the Netherlands, she decided to work on Bonaire and develop further as a speech therapist here. She enjoys working with children and adults and likes to guide them in communicating and, among other things, in strengthening oral motor skills.