What is a Voice Disorder?
A voice disorder is a breakdown of one or more
of the three main components of voice production:
1. Respiration: breath support for vocal sound.
2. Phonation: the production of sound through vocal cord
vibration.
3. Resonance: a natural
sound-filtering system in the head and neck that
improves
voice quality. Classification
of Voice Disorders
Voice disorders encompass a wide range of
medical, functional, and sometimes psychogenic
conditions. They are classified into three
categories:
- Functional, as with traumatic laryngitis
- Neurological, as with vocal cord paralysis
- Organic, as with cancer, nodules/cysts,
or reflux laryngitis
Evaluation and Plan of Care
When a patient comes for evaluation and
treatment, a speech pathologist performs
a voice evaluation
and develops an individualized therapy
plan based on the diagnostic findings.
Evaluation
results
are shared with the patient and the
patient’s physicians. A treatment plan may include:
- Family education to
facilitate support for the patient’s treatment
plan
- Lee
Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)
- Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy
- Patient education to heighten awareness
of vocal function
- Vocal exercises and
strategies to improve vocal quality
- Vocal hygiene techniques
For more information
about us please call 373-6175.
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Symptoms
of Voice Disorders:
- Breathiness
- Hoarse
voice
- Hyper- or hypo-nasal voice
- Inability
to produce voice or interruption in
voice
- Involuntary noise preceding voice
production
- Involuntary voice pitch
- Raspy Voice
- Speaking
with an extremely high or low pitch
continuously
- Strained, strangled voice
- Sudden burst in voice
- Tensed voice
- Tired voice resulting
in lower volume and
decreased quality
- Voice
Tremor
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