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Unlike pre-schooler stuttering, the evidence-base for successful treatment of school-aged children who stutter is limited. Currently, the most viable contenders for school-age stuttering treatments include:

Speech restructuring

These programs work on manipulation speech to help control stuttering like the Camperdown Program, which slows down speech rate to assist with fluency control. Speech restructuring can be successful for older children in their early teens however children below the age of 10 years often do not like using the speech pattern, and relapse is common.

Verbal response contingent treatments

For school-aged children that are less mature and not as old, the Lidcombe Program, which uses behavioural reinforcement for stutter free speech and stuttering, has some evidence to support its use (e.g. Koushik et al., 2009).  These types of treatment do not work nearly as well for school-aged children as they do with pre-schoolers.

Video-self modelling

Video-self modelling works by allowing children to watch themselves as they produce a desired behaviour (stutter-free speech) to help facilitate said behaviour.  Studies have been done with children as young as 8 years old, with low-level evidence to support its use (e.g. Bray & Kehle, 1998).  The treatment is safe and easy to facilitate with video-recording technology so readily available however it is not successful with all individuals so it needs to be trialled on a case by case basis.

Syllable-timed speech treatments

Syllable-timed speech techniques (STS) like the Westmead Program which has also been termed ‘robot talk’ have been used (in different forms) for hundreds of years.  They involve speaking with very little difference in stress across syllables.  The Westmead Program like many predecessors of its type works by producing equal stress on all syllables in a rhythmic beat. Recent studies conducted this year have shown promising evidence to support this form of treatment and currently, this type of treatment looks to be the most promising contender for this age group.

It should be noted however that each individual is different and in order to determine the best course of treatment for your child it is essential that he or she be properly assessed by a qualified speech pathologist to determine whether the child fits the criteria for the selected treatment.

Contact us

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have difficulties with speech, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post What treatment is available for school-aged kids who stutter? appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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Voice disorders are conditions involving abnormal pitch, loudness or quality of the voice, thereby affecting speech production. A voice disorder describes differences in voice that are inappropriate for an individual’s age, gender, cultural background, or geographic location. A person has a voice disorder if they express concern about having an abnormal voice that does not meet their daily needs. Even in the case where others cannot perceive the difference. Voice disorders are classified in a number of ways.

Most simply, voice disorders can be considered in three categories:

Organic

Organic voice disorders are physiological in nature and occur when there is a change to respiratory, laryngeal, or vocal tract mechanisms within a person’s body. There are two types of organic voice disorders: Structural and Neurogenic.

  • Structural voice disorders are caused by physical changes to the voice mechanism such as vocal nodules and oedema where the vocal fold tissue is altered by misuse or structural changes to the larynx that happen as a part of aging.
  • Neurogenic voice disorders are caused by dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system innervating the larynx, which in turn affects functioning of the vocal mechanism. This includes voice changes such as tremors caused through Neurogenic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, paralysis of one or both of the vocal folds or involuntary movements known as spasmodic dysphonia.

Functional

A functional voice disorder is caused by the improper or inefficient use of the vocal mechanism. This is despite there being no abnormalities to the physical structures involves in voicing. Functional voice disorders can be caused by the presence of an organic disorder that leads to habitual, mal-adaptive vocal habits. Even after the organic change or long standing vocal habits have been treated. Some examples of functional voice disorders include vocal fatigue, muscle tension dysphonia, diplophonia and ventricular phonation.

Psychogenic

A psychogenic voice disorder occurs when there is no structural reason for the voice disorder. There may or may not be patterns of muscle tension (functional voice disorder) and the primary cause is psychological. While psychogenic components within voice disorder do occur, voice disorders caused by a psychological disorder are relatively rare. These individuals may benefit more from a referral to appropriate professionals other than speech pathologist such as psychologist or psychiatrist for treatment.

Most voice disorders fall into the first two categories and overlap is very common. One of the most common cases is when an individual has a functional disorder. This is where they habitually misuse their voice, and this leads to a vocal trauma. Eventually this can lead to an organic disorder such as vocal nodules. It is important to determine the correct diagnosis and cause for voice disorders. Treatment will differ depending on the type and cause.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have speech pathology related questions, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post What is a voice disorder? appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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Take the time this holiday season while the kids are on break to get the whole family involved in some fun interactive activities and get those language goals down pat at the same time by playing some fun Christmas and holiday themed game show activities. Here are a couple to get you started:

Holiday Family Feud

Work on improving semantic associations between words and increasing your child’s vocabulary with Christmas themed words by setting up teams to play family feud with vocabulary tailored to a Christmas theme and to the level that your child is working at. For example, if you are targeting increasing vocabulary for food, you can make up a list of Christmas food, write them up on a board and cover each answer. Then get team members to answer for the category “Things we eat at Christmas”. The team that guesses the most correct answers wins.

Who wants to be a millionaire this Christmas?

Language comprehension, through both listening and reading can be targeted easily in a fun game of who wants to be a millionaire this Christmas. Start with a written passage that is handed to the child that they can read through if you are working on written comprehension. If you are targeting auditory comprehension, you can use a passage that is read out instead. Once the passage has been read, go through a list of pre-prepared questions and present on a board (or on paper), a list of four answers (one correct and 3 incorrect) that your child can choose from. Add on a bonus hierarchy of prizes to work up to make the game even more fun and motivating.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

This article was written by our Speech Pathologist Ashleigh Fattah who is a Speech Pathology Australia member. If you have speech pathology related questions, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post Holiday Language Game Show Activities appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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DIY Speech Pathology Resources

Identifying emotions can be difficult for many children and young adults on the Autism Spectrum and for those with pragmatic difficulties. This can be a real struggle to deal with on a day-to-day basis. When you cannot identify how others around you are feeling, it can be hard to connect and respond appropriately. Therapy for difficulties with emotion identification often comes in the form of drill practice in recognising facial expressions. This can often be dry and repetitive.

I have come across an excellent tool lately that can make emotion identification more engaging and fun. This is a game called emotions bingo. You can create your own based on emotions that your child struggles to identify. Do not forget to add in some that they are able to identify so they can still enjoy the game.

Here are the steps to create your own Emotions Bingo game:

  1. Download the attached grid
  2. Take pictures of yourself and other family members or friends doing different faces with mixed emotions such as happy, sad, angry, surprised and any others that your child may struggle with.
  3. Print the pictures out and attach them to the board or upload them into the attached grid, one in each box. Make sure to have an even amount of each emotion on each board placed in various places so no two boards look the same.
  4. Print and cut out an extra copy of each face. Place the faces in a pile to be drawn out.
  5. Use small counters to place on the board to keep track of the emotions that have been drawn out. Use any small object if you do not have counters such as shells, small pebbles etc.
  6. Once you have all the pieces ready to go, you can start the game by drawing out one by one the faces cards and naming the emotion shown on the face. Place a marker on each of the faces that matches the card that was drawn out. The first to fill a row is the winner.

Contact us for results focused speech therapy

Ashleigh Fattah is a Speech Pathology Australia member and Speech Pathologist in Sydney. If you have speech pathology related questions, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with simple and effective therapy targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.

The post Resource Creation – Emotion Bingo appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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A dozen lawyers stood together to be sworn into the Supreme Court bar Tuesday morning and mark a momentous occasion. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made a sweeping motion with his hands, which translated in Sign Language to “Your motion is granted.” The Chief Justice learned to sign that particular phrase just for that occasion. The gesture marked a historical moment where 12 deaf and hard of hearing lawyers were admitted into the Supreme Court Bar. All 12 lawyers are members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association from different states in America. They hope they’ll inspire other deaf students to pursue a legal career. They were not the first deaf lawyers to be admitted. In 1982, Michael Chatoff was the first deaf person to argue before the Supreme Court using technology that transcribed the justices’ questions for him.

Among them was New York-based Teresa Curtin. For her first 20 years practicing law, Curtin said she would often have to explain to judges that she was not the defendant. She’d explain time and again that she was the lawyer and that the interpreter she brought was there to sign for her, not her client. “It hasn’t been easy,” Curtin said. I think the biggest challenge has been to get people to give me the opportunity.

When Curtin was studying at Princeton University during her undergraduate degree, she learnt by copying the notes from her peers. Then by the time she started at New York University Law School, she had a sign language interpreter in class allowing her to fully engage in the classroom. There were only a handful of deaf lawyers at the time she graduated in 1988. Today there are roughly 250 deaf or hard-of-hearing people practicing law in the United States. The 12 lawyers admitted on this occasion

We’re very proud to be here today because its about diversity,” Curtin said, who now works at Weitz & Luxenberg, a large firm in New York. We don’t think it’s so much inspirational as it should be normal. While two interpreters were there Tuesday to sign the entire morning’s opinions and arguments for the group — including an arcane and complicated opinion on energy regulations read by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — most were able to follow along without them. Many sat with their heads down, reading along on their mobile devices that were providing them real-time transcripts of the proceedings. Though technology remains forbidden inside the courtroom, they were granted the rare exception.

Advancements in technology along with the American Disabilities Act in 1990, which states that “reasonable accommodations” be made for people with disabilities, has allowed lawyers that are deaf or hard of hearing to practice with greater ease. However, there are still barriers with one fear being that having an interpreter present may mean their message may not be presented accurately.

Some deaf or hard-of-hearing lawyers doubt that they can actually practice law, said Howard Rosenblum, who also was sworn in to the bar. But the real practice is based on intellect and deaf people have that in spades.

Reference

www.washingtonpost.com/supreme-court-chief-justice-learned-sign-language-to-swear-in-deaf-attorneys

The post Supreme Court Chief Justice learned sign language to swear in deaf lawyers appeared first on ENT Wellbeing Sydney.

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