Background: Speech disorders are a feature of Parkinson's disease, typically worsening as the disease progresses. The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) was developed to address these difficulties. It targets vocal loudness as a means of increasing vocal effort and improving coordination across the subsystems of speech. Aims: Currently LSVT is…

Glottal stops are conveyed by an abrupt constriction at the level of the glottis. Tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers are known to have poor control over the new voice source (neoglottis), and this might influence the production of "glottal" stops. This study investigated how TE speakers realized "glottal" stops in abutting words…

Evidence suggests that teachers are often at risk for vocal disease and are more likely to change occupations because of their voice problems compared to non-teachers. Physical educators are especially at risk for voice problems due to the intense daily demands of voice projection. Chronic abuse can cause swelling and inflammation of the…

The four major classifications of voice disorders (etiological, perceptual, kinesiologic, and mass and approximation classifications) are reviewed and the use of classifications to communicate with other professionals and to make management decisions is addressed. (CL)

The paper presents an approach to voice therapy programing for young children who are hypernasal. Some general principles underlying the approach are presented and discussed, including use of language patterns appropriate to the child's age and cognitive and linguistic development. (Author/CL)

In order to better evaluate students with voice disorders, maximum and mean phonation times as a function of coaching were obtained from 28 nonhandicapped third-grade girls. Coaching during the voiced prolongations produced significantly longer maximum and mean phonation times but did not reduce within-subject variability. (Author/DB)

Described and provided is a laryngology consult form that has been found useful by speech therapists in obtaining information important to the diagnosis and management of children with voice disorders. (CL)

A clinical program of vocal rehabilitation for eight patients with biopsied papillomata of the vocal folds resulted in reduction or elimination of the papillomata in four patients. (KW)

A combination of training in deep muscle relaxation, instruction in phonation in controlled vowel contexts, and gradual reintroduction of a normal voice quality restored normal voice quality after five sessions to a 40-year-old female with hoarseness of sudden onset and of suspected psychogenic origin. (Author/KW)

Thirty-six chronically hoarse children (mean age nine) with nodules were found to be similar to those without nodules on various perceptual measures. Twenty of thirty of these children showed improvements after a year of rehabilitation in the public schools; improvement varied according to the abilities of individual clinicians. (Author/CL)

There are a number of methods and activities clinicians can use to overcome vocal abuse in school-age children. (Author/PHR)