Speech and language therapy in Latvia
Two different professions, and when to go
- Register check: State register of medical practitioners (opens in a new window)
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A speech and hearing therapist helps when a child's speech is developing late, or when hearing difficulties are suspected at any age. The doctor explains which tests would help going forward.
The consultation happens over video, so it works the same in Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Ventspils and Rēzekne – from Riga to the smallest rural parish. It does not matter whether you live in the capital or in a remote rural municipality – distance no longer decides how quickly you can see a doctor.
No verified doctor in this specialty yet
We check every certificate by hand, so the list grows step by step. Choose another specialty or start with a family doctor.
Known specialists in Latvia
Audiologopēdi (clinical speech and language therapists): Aiva Dance; Annija Šķērstiņa; Dana Krista Rezņika; Džesika Devjatņikova; Elīna Gaugere; Elīna Jēkabsone; Evelīna Beizītere; Evita Bugaja; Glorija Ločmane; Kima Kāne; Laura Beāte Buliņa; Laura Ratniece; Līga Gribuste; Marija Lūse; Marta Urtāne; Santa Katrīna Salaka; Valerija Krauze; Veronika Dumeša.
Logopēdi (speech therapists, education-based): Arvis Rullis; Elita Ločmele; Evita Bugaja; Iveta Mančinska; Jeļena Grišina; Marta Velpa; Paula Melgaile; Romēna Namniece.
Hearing aid acoustician: Dina Tanberga.
This list is partial. One specialist may be registered in both professions.
When to call 113 instead of booking
- Choking on food or a foreign body, where the person cannot breathe.
- Sudden loss of speech or slurred speech together with facial asymmetry or one-sided weakness. These are signs of stroke.
- Inability to swallow saliva together with neck swelling and fever.
- Sudden loss of voice together with difficulty breathing.
- A baby unable to suck who is losing weight rapidly.
- Repeated choking while eating together with fever and cough, which can mean food entering the lungs.
Sudden speech problems are never a reason to wait for a therapy appointment. They need emergency assessment first.
The difference between the two professions
This is the distinction most often confused in Latvia.
- Training
- Audiologopēds
- Medical
- Logopēds
- Educational
- Status
- Audiologopēds
- Registered healthcare professional
- Logopēds
- Teacher
- Age groups
- Audiologopēds
- From birth to old age
- Logopēds
- Mainly preschool and school-age children
- Scope
- Audiologopēds
- Communication, speech and language, phonation, swallowing, hearing
- Logopēds
- Assessment and correction of speech and language disorders
- Where they work
- Audiologopēds
- Healthcare providers, rehabilitation teams
- Logopēds
- Educational settings and private practice
| Audiologopēds | Logopēds | |
|---|---|---|
| Training | Medical | Educational |
| Status | Registered healthcare professional | Teacher |
| Age groups | From birth to old age | Mainly preschool and school-age children |
| Scope | Communication, speech and language, phonation, swallowing, hearing | Assessment and correction of speech and language disorders |
| Where they work | Healthcare providers, rehabilitation teams | Educational settings and private practice |
A clinical speech therapist at the POGA rehabilitation centre explains that a logopēds has pedagogical training and deals more with educational questions, while an audiologopēds has medical training and is a registered healthcare professional.
Rīgas 1. slimnīca states that the audiologopēds handles swallowing disorders, aphasia, dysarthria, vocal cord damage and hearing loss, and works within a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team after neurological, oncological or traumatic illness. In hospitals the two professions often work in parallel: a child with hearing loss may need both clinical therapy and educational language support.
Warning signs
Veselības centrs 4 lists these signs as reasons to see a clinical speech therapist:
- Poor oral motor skills early on: weak sucking and heavy drooling in the first year of life.
- Limited biting, chewing and swallowing during meals in the second year.
- Prolonged non-verbal communication by gesture in toddlers in the second year.
- Using distorted versions of individual words in speech.
Rīgas 1. slimnīca adds hearing problems affecting speech perception, and stagnation or regression of previously acquired language, for example after a virus or injury.
Glossary
- Dysphagia
- swallowing disorder, treated by clinical speech therapists in both children and adults.
- Aphasia
- language disorder resulting from brain damage such as stroke.
- Dysarthria
- speech disorder caused by impaired control of the speech muscles.
- Dyslalia
- disorder of speech sound production.
- Alalia
- failure of language to develop in early childhood.
- Logoneurosis
- stammering.
- Alternative communication
- non-speech communication such as sign language, communication boards and pictograms.
- Myofunctional exercises
- exercises for the lips, tongue, palate and jaw.
How someone becomes a clinical speech therapist in Latvia
- An audiologopēds is a registered healthcare professional specialising in medical speech therapy, listed in the practitioners register.
- A logopēds has pedagogical training and is not a registered healthcare professional.
- Some specialists train further in specific methods, such as oro-facial therapy or alternative communication.
- Register entries must be renewed every 5 years.
How to verify registration
- 1Open Health Inspectorate – register of medical practitioners (registri.vi.gov.lv) (opens in a new window).
- 2Enter the specialist's surname or practitioner identifier.
- 3Look for the profession "Audiologopēds". A logopēds is not a healthcare professional and may not appear in this register.
- 4Check the registration validity date.
- 5If the need follows a stroke or injury, confirm that the specialist works with adults.
Where these specialists practise
Rīga
- Rīgas veselības centrs (opens in a new window)
offering clinical speech therapy at all its branches in Bolderāja, Imanta, Iļģuciems, Torņakalns, Ziepniekkalns and Ķengarags, including within state quotas.
- Veselības centrs 4 (opens in a new window)
and its "Bērnu veselības centrs" branch, offering paediatric therapy (opens in a new window) and a multidisciplinary approach alongside a physiotherapist.
- Rīgas 1. slimnīca (opens in a new window)
where clinical speech therapists work on restoring swallowing and also specialise in voice and laryngeal muscle therapy.
In the regions
Clinical speech therapists also work at rehabilitation centres outside Rīga. Availability and waiting times are worth checking with the individual provider.
How to choose
- Age. The audiologopēds works with all age groups, including adults after stroke. The logopēds works mainly with children.
- State quotas. At some providers the service is available within state quotas with a co-payment; elsewhere it is private only.
- Swallowing problems. If swallowing is the main problem, the audiologopēds is the right professional, not the logopēds.
- Languages. Some specialists deliver sessions in Latvian, Russian and English.
- Team. For children with complex needs, a provider where the therapist works alongside a physiotherapist and others is worth seeking.
What a visit looks like
- Children under three are allowed to play at the start while the history is taken from the parents.
- Parents are advised to review the mother's passport beforehand and recall when the child said their first words.
- An audio or video recording of the child speaking helps a great deal, since children often do not cooperate during the appointment as much as the specialist needs.
- Veselības centrs 4 states that it assesses sound production using a phoneme album, screens speech comprehension, assesses auditory attention using whispered words and word chains, and from age five also runs a hand dexterity test.
- Therapy uses a range of methods, including oro-facial massage, myofunctional exercises, voice exercises and graphomotor exercises.
Cost
Rīgas veselības centrs states that clinical speech therapy is available within state quotas and publishes a price list showing both the co-payment for the state service and the total payment.
- Service
- Therapy session within state quotas
- Price
- co-payment per price list
- Service
- Private therapy session
- Price
- per provider price list
- Service
- Patient co-payment for a child under 18
- Price
- 0.00 EUR (National Health Service of Latvia (opens in a new window), price list checked 8 August 2026)
- Service
- Consultation assessing the need for assistive devices
- Price
- per price list
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Therapy session within state quotas | co-payment per price list |
| Private therapy session | per provider price list |
| Patient co-payment for a child under 18 | 0.00 EUR (National Health Service of Latvia (opens in a new window), price list checked 8 August 2026) |
| Consultation assessing the need for assistive devices | per price list |
Oversight
The audiologopēds is a registered healthcare professional and therefore subject to practitioners register requirements and Health Inspectorate oversight. The logopēds, with pedagogical training, works within the education system.
Patient rights and complaints
If you have doubts about the quality of a service received at a healthcare provider, raise them first with the provider's management. If that does not resolve it, a written submission goes to the Health Inspectorate no later than two years after the alleged infringement, and is reviewed within 30 days, extendable to four months in complex cases. The procedure is set out on the Health Inspectorate site (opens in a new window).
FAQ
What is the difference between the two professions?
The audiologopēds has medical training and is a registered healthcare professional; the logopēds has pedagogical training. The audiologopēds works with all ages and also with swallowing disorders.
From what age can we go?
The audiologopēds works with people from birth. Warning signs can appear in the first year of life, such as weak sucking and heavy drooling.
What should I bring to the first visit?
Information about the child's development, the mother's passport, and if possible an audio or video recording of the child speaking.
Is the service state-funded?
At some providers it is available within state quotas with a co-payment. Children under 18 pay no patient co-payment.
Does a clinical speech therapist help after a stroke?
Yes. Aphasia, dysarthria and swallowing disorders in adults are within their scope.
This page was reviewed by Sergejs Ponomarjovs, from the E-Medicīna team. More about us.
Sources, last review and corrections
Last reviewed: 8 August 2026
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