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Turner Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that is caused by deletion of the second sex chromosome in females. It occurs in 1-2500 births, and is a common characteristic in many miscarriages. According to the Turner Syndrome Society, common physical characteristics for women with turner syndrome: ·        Narrow, high-arched palate (roof of the mouth) ·        Retrognathia (receding lower jaw) ·        Low-set ears ·        Low

A new study has just been published on the relationship with Autism and the human voice! Here is the abstract: Underconnectivity between voice-selective cortex and reward circuitry in children with autism. Authors: Daniel A. Abramsa,1, Charles J. Lyncha, Katherine M. Chenga, Jennifer Phillipsa, Kaustubh Supekara, Srikanth Ryalia, Lucina Q. Uddina, and Vinod Menona,b,c,d,1 Abstract Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

Dysphagia is laments terms is difficulty with swallowing. Dysphagia can occur at any stage of swallowing…below are the phases of swallowing and what should be occurring during a typical swallow. Oral phase – sucking, chewing, and moving food or liquid into the throat Pharyngeal phase – starting the swallowing reflex, squeezing food down the throat, and closing off the airway to prevent

A cochlear implant is a implant is a device that provides direct electrical stimulation to the auditory (hearing) nerve in the inner ear. People with a sensorineural hearing loss (a hearing loss that results from damage to the inner hair cells of the cochlea, a structure of the inner ear) were previously thought to never regain their hearing. The cochlear implant

Myofunctional therapy is a specialized remedial program specifically designed for the correction of the tongue thrust/posture problem. Most of the patients in our practice are referred for myofunctional therapy by an orthodontist, ENT, or other medical professional. The idea behind myofunctional therapy is to improve and train the muscles associated with  swallowing. If you think about how often we swallow, it

Hey everyone, Next week HBO is premiering a new documentary called, “Miss You Can Do It”. It is premiering on June 24th at 9pm. The documentary is following a pageant started in 2004 by Abby Curran. Abby has cerebral palsy and represented Iowa in the Ms. USA pageant in 2008.  She started the Miss You Can Do it pageant. The Miss

The American Speech and Hearing Association defines cluttering as a fluency disorder characterized by a rapid and/or irregular speaking rate, excessive disfluencies, and often other symptoms such as language or phonological errors and attention deficits. To identify cluttering, you must listen to nonstuttered speech of the speaker. Evidence for a fluency disorder (one that is not stuttering) and excessive disfluencies, would be present

Vocal hygiene is a major part of treating voice disorders related to misuse and abuse. Some of the more common disorders you might see or hear about are vocal nodules and polyps. After being diagnosed with one of these disorders by an ENT, a speech language pathologist would likely implement a plan of vocal hygiene. Some of the things the

The National Fragile X Foundation says that Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition that causes intellectual disability, behavioral and learning challenges and various physical characteristics. It is considered to be under the “umbrella term” of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Fragile X Syndrome is also associated with Fragile X Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome, and Fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency. To read up more