Blog

I have recently worked with an individual who came to our office for voice therapy secondary to severe vocal nodules. I found this case to be extremely interesting and it inspired this weeks blog topic.  Below you will find information about what vocal nodules and polyps are, what causes them, and the harmful effects they can have on your voice. I hope

Over the past few months I have seen more and more preschool age children coming to our office for language evaluations. Many of these evaluations have been due to parental concerns with their child’s inability to communicate with age-matched peers, as well as express their feelings, wants, and needs.   Below you will find some information about preschool language disorders, their causes, and what can

For this weeks post I will be discussing Selective Mutism.  Selective mutism typically occurs during childhood years. A child with selective mutism does not speak in certain situations, like at school, but speaks at other times, like at home or with friends. What are some signs or symptoms of selective mutism? Symptoms are as follows: consistent failure to speak in specific social

For this weeks blog I will be discussing a motor speech disorder known as Dysarthria. Dysarthria is a type of disorder that causes individuals to experience weakness and slow movements of the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system.  The type and severity of dysarthria all depends on which area of the nervous system is affected. What are some signs or symptoms

Children’s speech and language development follows a typical pattern.  There are many speech and language disorders affecting both children and adults today. Throughout the month of December I am going to be discussing many of the different disorders commonly seen in our practice.  Over the past few weeks I have seen many evaluations completed in our office regarding concerns with expressive speech

Kummer, A.W., (2006). Resonance disorders and nasal emissions.  The ASHA Leader. Retrieved from:  http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2006/060207/060207c.htm. Resonance is the quality of the voice that is determined by the balance of sound vibration in the oral, nasal, and pharyngeal cavities during speech. Abnormal resonance can occur if there is obstruction in one of the cavities, causing hyponasality or cul-de-sac resonance, or if there

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) stated the following about hearing loss on speech-language development:  It is well recognized that hearing is critical to speech and language development, communication, and learning. Children with listening difficulties due to hearing loss or auditory processing problems continue to be an underidentified and underserved population. The earlier hearing loss occurs in a child’s life,

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) stated the following: What is autism? Autism is a developmental disability that causes problems with social skills and communication. Autism can be mild or severe. It is different for every person. Autism is also known as autism spectrum disorders. What are some signs or symptoms of autism? Children with autism may have problems with

The American Speech and Language Association stated the following: What is childhood apraxia of speech? Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for