A Short Note On A Functional Laryngeal Disorder

Summary of Interpretation: Given the information provided in Interpretation A, the clinician diagnosed Kara-Lynn with a severe phonological disorder. This diagnosis was made based on evidence provided by testing results, clinician observations, and speech analyses. Kara-Lynn demonstrated phoneme collapses into /d/ in place of stops (/p/, /t/, /k/, /g/), fricatives (/s/, /z/, /θ/, /ð/), and some consonant clusters (/tr/, /gr/) across all word positions. For example, Kara-Lynn produced /diə/ for “seal,” /dædɚ/ for “treasure,” and /dədudɚ/ for “computer.” Kara-Lynn also presented with active phonological processes of final consonant deletion (/fɪ/ for “fish”), cluster reduction (/tul/ for “school”), vocalization (/ɛləkə/ for “helicopter”), and deaffrication (/ʃi/ for “cheese”). She also presented with inconsistent patterns of initial-consonant deletion (/ɑʊps/ for “house”, /ɪʒ/ for “bridge”). In most instances, Kara-Lynn presented with both final consonant deletion and another phonological process, which markedly impacted her speech intelligibility, as when she produced /lɑʊ/ for “clown,” demonstrating both final consonant deletion and cluster reduction. She also expressed a high percentage of CV (27%) and CVC (29%) syllable and word shapes, with little other variation. Analysis of Kara-Lynn’s speech sample revealed similar errors exhibited during formal assessment, including phoneme collapse into /d/, high occurrences of initial and final consonant deletion and cluster

The first time I realized I was different was in second grade, when I opened my mouth to answer a question and my peers giggled as I struggled to answer. I pronounced my R's like W's, which threw my whole pronunciation of the English language into a twist. My previously "adorable" lapses in speech were now affecting me negatively. I was different than the rest of my classmates; I had been born with a speech disorder.

Many people would like to make a difference, not only in their own life, but in others’ lives as well. Deepak Chopra once said, “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.” All of us, at one point in our lives, have to make the difficult decision of the goals we want to work towards. We all have certain goals, standards, and expectations of ourselves. Not everyone will figure out what they want to be right away, and some will know from the very beginning. My plan for my life is helping others through Speech Language

As an eight year old student, I entered the annual science fair at school. The subject I chose to observe and research for my project was the human vocal chords. Collectively, my mom, a speech pathologist, and I sat down and watched videos that she had of her own vocal chords being activated and used for communication through speech and language. I was intrigued by the way that they worked and the way they were used to enable communication. My mom taught me about her work as a speech pathologist and how she had studied the vocal chords specifically to help her with the ability to train others who had speech and language impairments and communication disabilities. It was through my research and careful observation of the way that the vocal

While speech-sound errors may occur in a typically developing child, if these errors persist beyond the expected age, it becomes indicative of a speech disorder and requires treatment (Peña-Brooks & Hedge, 2015). Speech-sound disorders in children will not only affect intelligibility of the individual, but can also have pervasive effects on communication skills, social involvement, and future employment, leading to an overall reduced quality of life (Johnson, Beitchman, and Brownlie, 2010). However, if individuals with speech-sound disorders receive speech-language services in childhood, evidence supports these children are likely to become effective communicators (Johnson, Beitchman, and Brownlie, 2010). Speech-language pathologists

As a Speech Language Pathologist it is my responsibility to provide a means of communication to any individual who has an impairment as it relates to communication. No matter how severe the deficit may be as it relates to cognitive functioning, motor skills,etc.. and any other disability that may impact the traditional means of communication. A Speech language Pathologist who works with individuals who require the use of an Augmentative and alternative communication device, must keep in mind that it is their responsibility to make sure that more than one mode of alternative and or augmentative can be used, monitor the progression of intervention as well as evaluate the individual and most importantly keep up to date with current practice through

A phonological process is a typical pattern that all young children use when developing their speech. The child’s brain creates rules to simplify speech sounds and make words easier to say. As children grow older, they outgrow these patterns on their own and eventually, their speech becomes intelligible. A phonological process disorder is when a child continues to exhibit these patterns past the age expected for them to disappear. Phonological processes consist of syllable structure processes, substitution process, and assimilation processes.

Never heard of PVCM? It was first noted by Dunglison in 1842 as laryngospasms brought on by hysteria, he called it Hysteria Croup. In 1869 the closing of the vocal cords during inspiration was first visualize using laryngoscopy and was determined to be the cause of the stridor heard upon inspiration during an attack (Ibrahim, Gheriani &Raza, 2007). Throughout the past it has been called many names including

I was diagnosed with VCD in seventh grade. It occurs when the vocal cords do not open correctly making it difficult to breath. It is induced by physical activity

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is the complete immobility of one vocal fold. According to Sapienza and Ruddy (2013), “90% of vocal fold paralysis that occurs is unilateral and caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system” (p. 189). Vocal fold paralysis is typically considered a symptom of a disease or neurologic disruption. In one study, it was found that vocal fold paralysis was caused by surgical trauma, tumors or neoplasms, unknown or idiopathic factors, trauma, central nervous system dysfunction, radiation, inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other causes (Chen, Jen, Wang, Lee, & Lin, 2007). Symptoms of unilateral vocal fold paralysis may include: aphonia, abnormal vocal quality (breathy, hoarse, and/or strained), and dysphagia. Onset of UVFP may be life altering as the individual has to find compensatory strategies for voicing or even alternative methods of communication. The individual is also left susceptible to aspiration due to the lack of airway protection. These factors make it critical to diagnose the impairment so as to provide the appropriate treatment.

Purpose: A minimal-contrast method to teaching phonological oppositions is a conceptual, rather than motoric, strategy to suppress phonological processes. This method was assessed for effectiveness in reducing the frequency of process use and generalization of treatment effect.

Imagine a hacking cough that sounds so hoarse that it would be scary for an adult, but with from a child. A child’s health is the most important thing to most parents and when something comes up that isn’t in a parent’s control it’s terrifying. There are a lot of diseases that just appear but there aren’t quite as many that only children are susceptible to. Laryngotracheobronchitis is one of the rare diseases that only gets caught by children and it’s important to be aware of what it is, the symptoms of it, and how to take care of it.

What is croup? Croup is defined as, by the Mayo Clinic (2015), an infection of the upper airway, which obstructs breathing and causes a characteristic barking cough. It effects children because, anatomically having a smaller airway, it is easier for swelling to close off the airway. Croup can be broken down in two categories: subglottic croup, which is laryngotracheobronchitis (LTB) and supraglottic croup, which is epiglottitis (Jardins & Burton, 2011). These two diseases have been used interchangeable by many because of their similarities, but these diseases are different in many ways. LTB and epiglottitis show their differences between their definitions, signs and symptoms, and the treatments of the diseases.

The larynx is the part of the respiratory system that contains the vocal folds, and is responsible for the creation of sound. The larynx sits on top of the trachea or windpipe, which allows for air to pass to and from the lungs when the body inhales and exhales. Positioned at the upper opening of the larynx are two mucous membranes that make up the vocal folds or glottis. The vocal folds consist of twin flaps of cartilage, on average two to four centimeters long, in the shape of a “V” that vibrate together when air passes through the trachea. They work together with the resonating chambers in the head, like the nose and mouth, to create sound. This process is known as phonation, “…The phonation process, or voicing, occurs

Laryngo-tracheo-esophageal cleft, referred more commonly as laryngeal clefts are an uncommon congenital anomaly of the posterior larynx, which may also affect the trachea and esophagus. (Thiel, Clement, & Kubba, 2011). Richter documented the first laryngeal cleft in 1792 when he performed an examination of aspirating newborn. However, the first successful surgical repair procedure was performed over 150 years later in 1955 by Petterson (Chien et al., 2006). It is more common in males than females. Laryneal clefts have been approximated to occur every 1/10,000 to every 1/20,000 live births annually. It should be noted, that this most likely is an underestimation as some minor forms go undiagnosed and other severe forms may result in fatalities (Leboulanger & Garabedian, 2011).