Breathing and swallowing share a common pathway, making the timing and co-ordination extremely important. Breathing is inhibited before and during the swallow, and this cessation of breathing is accomplished by closure of the vocal folds, that also serve as the last...
Dysphagia and Aphasia are sound alike medical terms and the symptoms sometimes occur in the same patient, particularly following a stroke, but while the meanings are quite different, the impact on quality of life is equally devastating for some people. Dysphagia,...
Drooling, can be an embarrassing and annoying problem for individuals with a neurodegenerative disease, and a fairly common complaint I hear from patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is: “I have too much saliva.” Whether the problem is one of excessive saliva or...
Better Hearing and Speech Month Each May, Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication and swallowing disorders and the role ASHA certified Speech-language Pathologists and Audiologists have in providing...
A challenge for many people with Parkinson’s is finding the time for speech practice. So, a part of the mission here at Voice Aerobics, is creating fun products and programs that can be used by patients any time and anywhere. In 2010,Grand Slam© joined the...
A friend of mine has a two year old with a recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. I asked her how it felt to have her child labeled autistic. Was it scary? Was it a relief to have a name attached to his symptoms? Did it help with funding for services? Her...
