MedWorm: Speech Therapy

Treatment Options for Tauopathies

Current Treatment Options in Neurology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:11:02 +0100

Opinion statement To date, there are no approved and established pharmacologic treatment options for tauopathies, a very heterogenous group of neuropsychiatric diseases often leading to dementia and clinically diagnosed as atypical Parkinson syndromes. Among these so-called Parkinson plus syndromes are progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), also referred to as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome; frontotemporal dementia (FTD); and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Available treatment strategies are based mainly on small clinical trials, miscellaneous case reports, or small case-controlled studies. The results of these studies and conclusions about the efficacy of the medication used are often contradictory. Approved therapeutic agents for Alzheimer´s dementia, such as acet...

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Transportation Service for Medicaid Enrollees Surpasses 857,000 Rides in First Six Months

Wisconsin DHFS Press Releases — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0100

The state's non-emergency medical transportation manager, LogistiCare, has received more than 380,000 calls from Medicaid enrollees and coordinated more than 857,000 trips to physician and dental visits, mental health outpatient therapy appointments, physical, occupational or speech therapy, and hospital stays, according to Department of Health Services (DHS) officials. (Source: Wisconsin DHFS Press Releases)

Speech therapy for compensatory articulations and velopharyngeal function: a case report

Journal of Applied Oral Science — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:27:33 +0100

The objective of this study was to describe the process of intensive speech therapy for a 6-year-old child using compensatory articulations while presenting with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and a history of cleft lip and palate. The correction of VPI was temporarily done with a pharyngeal obturator since the child presented with very little movement of the pharyngeal walls during speech, compromising the outcome of a possible pharyngeal flap procedure (pharyngoplasty). The program of intensive speech therapy involved 3 phases, each for duration of 2 weeks incorporating 2 daily sessions of 50 minutes of therapy. A total of 60 sessions of intervention were done with the initial goal of eliminating the use of compensatory articulations. Evaluation before the program indicated the use o...

Multidisciplinary approach to vocal cord dysfunction diagnosis and treatment in one session: A single institutional outcome study

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Combining the diagnostic encounter with multidisciplinary behavioral intervention in a single visit is an efficacious approach for the long-term management of VCD in the pediatric population. (Source: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)

Health promotion and speech and language therapy actions in infantile education

Revista CEFAC — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:42:57 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: education professionals do not have much knowledge regarding the acquisition and development of human communication and its disturbs. Education professionals know about the work performed by the Speech and Language Therapist, but they see it from a clinical and preventive perspective. The workshops enabled the discussion of the importance of developing prevention and health promotion in Speech and Language Therapy. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Functional characterization and temporomandibular disorders before and after orthognathic surgery and myofunctional treatment of class II dentofacial deformity

Revista CEFAC — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:42:57 +0100

CONCLUSION: there are specific myofunctional modifications related to the stomatognathic functions and to TMD in Class II Dentofacial deformity patients. Both the surgery and the speech therapy produced myofunctional modifications, with reduction of initial complaints, as well as a decrease of TMD and correction of functional patterns. The swallowing function was the most benefited by the treatments. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Speech therapy in total glossectomy: case study

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:11:29 +0100

A cirurgia curativa do câncer de língua ocasiona sequelas que prejudicam o bom funcionamento das funções estomatognáticas. O objetivo do trabalho é descrever, por meio de estudo de caso, os achados da avaliação e a evolução da reabilitação fonoaudiológica das funções de deglutição e fala de um indivíduo de 58 anos, gênero masculino, submetido à glossectomia total em junho de 2009. Após a avaliação diagnosticou-se disfagia orofaríngea mecânica severa e alteração na articulação da fala. Na reabilitação fonoaudiológica foram utilizadas, como formas de atuação, as terapias direta e indireta. Na terapia indireta trabalhou-se controle motor oral, sensibilidade, mobilidade, motricidade, tônus e postura das estruturas adjacentes da língua resseccionada. Na terap...

Subacute management of ischemic stroke.

American Family Physician — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bernheisel CR, Schlaudecker JD, Leopold K Abstract Ischemic stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a common reason for hospitalization. The subacute period after a stroke refers to the time when the decision to not employ thrombolytics is made up until two weeks after the stroke occurred. Family physicians are often involved in the subacute management of ischemic stroke. All patients with an ischemic stroke should be admitted to the hospital in the subacute period for cardiac and neurologic monitoring. Imaging studies, including magnetic resonance angiography, carotid artery ultrasonography, and/or echocardiography, may be indicated to determine the cause of the stroke. Evaluation for aspiration risk, including a swallowing assessment, should b...

Mobile phone apps to aid Parkinson's patients

Hospital IT Europe — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:51:00 +0100

The University of Portsmouth is creating apps that can work as speech therapy tools (Source: Hospital IT Europe)

Effectiveness of nasopharyngoscopic biofeedback in clients with cleft palate speech-a systematic review.

Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion. The analyzed studies show that nasopharyngoscopy may be effective only in combination with traditional speech therapy in helping patients with cleft palate speech optimize their velopharyngeal closure in articulation, but the quantity and quality of studies are limited. PMID: 22145632 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology.)

Pediatric Paradoxical Vocal-Fold Motion: Presentation and Natural History

PEDIATRICS — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date on pediatric PVFM. The majority of children with PVFM improve with speech therapy. Children with PVFM at rest may be better treated with psychiatric therapy than speech therapy. Furthermore, children who present with symptoms at rest may have a higher likelihood of underlying psychiatric disease. (Source: PEDIATRICS)

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Telehealth as a Means of Health Care Delivery for Physical Therapist Practice.

Physical Therapy — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Lee AC, Harada N Abstract This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.Telehealth is defined as the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. According to the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), telehealth is a broad term used to describe the use of electronic communications to deliver clinical services as well as other types of health information.(1) In rehabilitation, telehealth is defined by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) as the use of electronic communications to provide and deliver a host of health-related information and healthcare services, including, but not limited to, physical therapy related information and services, over large and small distances.(2) Telehealth may be used to provid...

[A preliminary study on speech therapy for marginal velopharyngeal insufficiency].

Shanghai Journal of Stomatology — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with MVPI, a satisfactory result and pronunciation improvement could be obtained through a series of behavior therapy and a good velopharyngeal closure. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(81070813) and Research Found of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(08DZ2271100). PMID: 22241310 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Shanghai Journal of Stomatology)

New Mouse Model Could Lead To New Treatments And Prevention Strategies For Cleft Lip And Cleft Palate In Humans

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College used genetic methods to successfully repair cleft lips in mice embryos specially engineered for the study of cleft lip and cleft palate. The research breakthrough may show the way to prevent or treat the conditions in humans. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects, with treatment requiring multiple cycles of surgery, speech therapy and orthodontics. To date, there have been very few pre-clinical methods that allow researchers to study the molecular causes of these malformations... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Genetic Technique Corrects Cleft Lip In Mouse Model

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Using genetic techniques, investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College have managed to successfully repaired cleft lips in mice embryos specially engineered for the investigation of cleft palate and cleft lip. This novel breakthrough might reveal how to prevent or treat the condition in humans. Cleft lip and cleft palate are one of the most prevalent birth defects. Treatment for these defects involves multiple surgeries, orthodontics as well as speech therapy. So far, very few pre-clinical techniques have allowed scientists to investigate the molecular causes of these defects... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Early rehabilitation after surgery improves functional outcome in inpatients with brain tumours

Journal of Neuro-Oncology — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:50:13 +0100

Abstract Clinical experience suggests that application of the fundamental principles of rehabilitation medicine can improve the care of patients with cancer. Despite the high incidence of neurological and functional deficits in patients affected by brain tumours (BTs), rehabilitation treatment of this population is not as well established as it is for patients with other neurological conditions. To assess functional outcome in brain tumour inpatients who underwent early rehabilitation after surgery. 75 patients who had undergone neurosurgery for primary BTs and 75 patients affected by stroke were enrolled in a case-control study. All patients were evaluated by means of a core set of clinical scales (Functional Independence Measure, Sitting Balance score, Standing Balance s...

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[Awareness of dysphagia in Parkinson's disease].

Revista de Neurologia — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:55:13 +0100

CONCLUSIONS. The Dysphapark questionnaire is a suitable measure of dysphagia in PD, according to the Rasch analysis. A high proportion of patients with PD have dysphagia, although it has been observed that they have a low level of awareness of the condition, of the consequences it may have and of the possibility of using thickening agents. Given that some of the swallowing disorders in PD are asymptomatic and that the level of awareness of the disorder is low, we recommend including specific questionnaires as well as clinical and instrumental evaluation of dysphagia in clinical practice. PMID: 22086428 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Revista de Neurologia)

Cerebral palsy: analysis of swallowing patterns before and after speech therapy intervention

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:39:20 +0100

CONCLUSION: this study found that the speech intervention in patients with Cerebral Palsy brings as a result an improvement in their usual diet, despite the short treatment period(three months). (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Preliteracy Speech Sound Skills and Later Literacy Outcomes: A Study Using the Templin Archive.

Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Speech sound disorders appear to be an overt manifestation of a complex interaction among variables influencing literacy skills: non-language cognition, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness. These interrelationships hold across the range of speech sound skill, as children with superior speech sound skills experience superior literacy outcomes. PMID: 22052971 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools)

Long-term outcomes of speech therapy for seven adolescents with visual feedback technologies: Ultrasound and electropalatography.

Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bacsfalvi P, Bernhardt BM Abstract This follow-up study investigated the speech production of seven adolescents and young adults with hearing impairment 2-4 years after speech intervention with ultrasound and electropalatography. Perceptual judgments by seven expert listeners revealed that five out of seven speakers either continued to generalize post-treatment or maintained their level of performance post-treatment. Targets included fricatives, vowels and the rhotic /ɹ/. Speakers ranged in age from 14 to 19 years. Listeners were considered to be expert listeners. All listeners had extensive backgrounds in phonetics and phonology and were speech-language pathologists. This long-term investigation revealed that speech habilitation with visual feedback tools as adjuncts to ...

Speech Therapy Key to Stroke Rehab, But Many Miss Out

MedlinePlus Health News — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0100

Lack of coverage can keep patients from services even though help is out there, experts say Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Rehabilitation, Stroke (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

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Early speech therapy key to improving communication in stroke patients

MedWire News - Stroke — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

In stroke patients with moderate to severe aphasia, daily speech therapy begun very soon after the stroke event can improve communication to a greater degree than usual care, suggest study results. (Source: MedWire News - Stroke)

Life-changing speech therapy support offered to Redbridge people

Multiple Sclerosis Trust — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Patients are being offered life-changing support by an innovative £75,000 therapy project. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)

Autologous fat transfer in velopharyngeal insufficiency: Indications and results of a 25 procedures series

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:22:28 +0100

Abstract: Objective: To assess the efficiency of autologous fat transfer (AFT/Coleman procedure) in the management of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI).Settings: Tertiary academic center, retrospective case series over a 4year period. Pre- and post-speech assessment by a speech pathologist using the Borel-Maisonny scale.Patients and method: Twenty-five (25) procedures were performed on 22 patients during the considered period. Mean age at surgery was 12.4±4.1years-old. Main associated conditions were 22q11 deletion (n=6 including 2 with cleft palate), isolated cleft palate (n=3), and Robin sequence (n=2).Indications were VPI grade 2a (n=5), 2b (n=11) and 3 (n=6), despite prolonged speech therapy (pre-op mean duration: 4.2years) and previous surgery (velopharyngoplasty, n=13). Four patien...

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An unusual case of anterior and posterior laryngeal cleft together: combined cleft of larynx

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:50:38 +0100

Abstract Congenital clefts of the larynx are rare and usually found dorsally. An anterior or ventral cleft of the larynx is extremely rare. Only a few patients with this defect have been reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a patient having an anterior and posterior laryngeal cleft together. A 20-year-old man presented with a history of dysphonia since childhood. He did not report symptoms of swallowing or respiration, and had no history of neck trauma. Findings of videolaryngoscopy showed a grossly abnormal larynx. The anterior commissure was wider than normal, and the vocal folds did not show a fusion anteriorly. There was an interarytenoid cleft posteriorly. A neck CT with 3D reconstruction demonstrated a ventral cleft or nonfusion of the ...

Instrumental Assessment of Velopharyngeal Closure for Speech

Seminars in Speech and Language — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Semin Speech Lang 2011; 32: 168-178DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1277719ABSTRACTThe presence of a palatal cleft at birth should not prevent good speech production in most children provided they have (1) appropriate surgical intervention to close the palate at or around the child's first birthday, (2) careful monitoring of speech development throughout childhood, (3) speech therapy when needed, and (4) secondary surgical or speech-prosthetic intervention when needed. When managed carefully by an experienced, well-prepared multidisciplinary team that applies the criteria listed above, ~70% of children with nonsyndromic palatal clefts will have no significant difficulties with speech intelligibility or speech quality due to velopharyngeal insufficiency by the time they enter elementary school. Speech a...

Speech Therapy for Errors Secondary to Cleft Palate and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction

Seminars in Speech and Language — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Semin Speech Lang 2011; 32: 191-198DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1277721ABSTRACTIndividuals with a history of cleft lip/palate or velopharyngeal dysfunction may demonstrate any combination of speech sound errors, hypernasality, and nasal emission. Speech sound distortion can also occur due to other structural anomalies, including malocclusion. Whenever there are structural anomalies, speech can be affected by obligatory distortions or compensatory errors. Obligatory distortions (including hypernasality due to velopharyngeal insufficiency) are caused by abnormal structure and not by abnormal function. Therefore, surgery or other forms of physical management are needed for correction. In contrast, speech therapy is indicated for compensatory articulation productions where articulation placement is cha...

TMJ Ankylosis: Multidisciplinary Approach of Treatment for Dentofacial Enhancement—A Case Report

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:47:23 +0100

This report describes the multidisciplinary phasewise treatment of a 20-year-old female patient having unilateral right TMJ bony (true) ankylosis whose mouth opening was restricted to 2 mm and mandibular retrognathism; additionally, she was also suffering from speech problems, snoring, difficulty in breathing, and low level of self-esteem and self-confidence. Bilateral gap arthroplasty and temporalis myofascial graft interpositioning through preauricular approach were done in surgical phase followed by the aggressive jaw physiotherapy in postsurgical period. Oral prophylaxis and restorations were followed by the fixed orthodontic therapy to resolve bimaxillary protrusion. Advancement sliding genioplasty was performed to enhance the chin button. Speech therapy and psychological couns...

Knowledge and instrumentation of teachers on speech development: actions for health promotion

Revista CEFAC — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 02:20:45 +0100

CONCLUSION: the instrumentation for the development of speech, performed by speech therapists, is a measure that contributes for prevention and health promotion aiding the teaching practice of the teachers. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Unilateral vocal fold mobility alteration: objective and subjective evaluation of voice quality on prior and post speech therapy

Revista CEFAC — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 02:20:45 +0100

CONCLUSION: speech therapy treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis improved perceptual-hearing and spectrographic data and the maximum phonation time of voice. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Speech therapy performance ih the facial aesthetics: case report

Revista CEFAC — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 02:20:45 +0100

CONCLUSION: we suggest the importance of speech-language intervention in restoring facial and functional oral motor that influence the reduction of wrinkles, expression marks and flaccidity. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Velopharyngeal valving during speech, in patients with velocardiofacial syndrome and patients with non-syndromic palatal clefts after surgical and speech pathology management

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:24:00 +0100

Abstract: Background: Velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) is the most common genetic syndrome associated with cleft palate. There are reports describing several anomalies associated with the palatal cleft in patients with VCFS, which can affect the characteristics of the velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) in these cases.Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess velopharyngeal sphincter function during speech, using videonasopharyngoscopy (VNP) and videofluoroscopy (VF), in patients with VCFS, as compared with patients with non-syndromic palatal clefts (NSCP).Material and method: Twenty patients with VCFS corroborated by a FISH test were studied. All patients showed a palatal cleft. All patients had received previous management including speech therapy and palatal repair. These patient...

Voice quality in Parkinson's disease in the Croatian language speakers.

Collegium Antropologicum — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

In this study we found which components of voice were more affected. The voice quality has a significant impact on life quality and potential in assessment for severity of disease state and for the efficacy of treatment. PMID: 22220437 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Collegium Antropologicum)

Future face of speech therapy mapped out by Scottish scientists

Scotsman.com News - Health — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Scottish researchers are using ultrasound technology to help treat children with speech problems. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

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Our patients’ stories: overcoming metabolic stroke

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:00:30 +0100

By Cindy Chiu My daughter Katie was born prematurely and spent her first 45 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. When we finally walked out of the lobby, I felt we had seen enough hospital rooms for a lifetime. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Little more than two years after Katie first came home, she and I picked up a nasty stomach bug. I was really sick for over 24 hours and for the first time in her life, Katie was vomiting. But other than throwing up and tiring easily she was in good spirits, dancing around the room when she could, then taking a nap when she got too exhausted. We thought she’d get over the bug as quickly as I did, but after 36 hours I was concerned when she was still sick. That night things went from bad to worse. She cried out for water weakly in the m...

What Causes Pediatric Stroke?

PediatricEducation.org — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:55:33 +0100

Discussion Stroke is “…the sudden occlusion or rupture of cerebral arteries or veins resulting in focal cerebral damage and clinical neurological deficits that persist for longer than 24 hours. Stroke can be ischemic, hemorrhagic or both.” Pediatric stroke, especially in a seemingly well child, is uncommon, but not as uncommon as often presumed. Outside the perinatal time period, the rate is 2-13 events /100,000 children/year or about the same rate as pediatric brain tumors. It unfortunately is also common cause of morbidity (75% of survivors have neurological deficits) and death (one of the 10 most common causes). Pediatric stroke presentations includes dystonia, emesis, fever, headache, hemiparesis, irritability, lethargy, and seizures. Adult stroke is often due to arte...

The Use of Botox in the Treatment of Post Cardiac Surgery Paradoxical Vocal Cord Movement

Heart, Lung and Circulation — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:29:00 +0100

We report a case of a 65 year-old man who developed severe PVCM post coronary artery bypass surgery requiring tracheostomy for six months. He was successfully treated with bronchoscopic injection of Botulinum toxin type A into his vocal cords. He was decannulated one week after the injection, and was doing well at six weeks follow up. (Source: Heart, Lung and Circulation)

Speech therapy in the treatment of globus pharyngeus: how we do it

Clinical Otolaryngology — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Clinical Otolaryngology)

An ultrasonographic investigation of cleft-type compensatory articulations of voiceless velar stops.

Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bressmann T, Radovanovic B, Kulkarni GV, Klaiman P, Fisher D Ultrasound imaging was used to investigate the articulation of the voiceless velar stop [k] in five speakers with compensatory articulation related to cleft palate. The perceptual evaluation of the acoustic realization and the visual assessment of the tongue movement for the target sound were made by three examiners. The analysis revealed a variety of different compensatory strategies that included glottal stops, pharyngeal stops, midpalatal stops and glottal and velar co-productions. One patient produced palatal click sounds together with a midpalatal stop. The ultrasound imaging also revealed covert articulatory movements that would have been missed in a purely perceptual analysis. The analysis of the ultrasound im...

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Relationship Between Age and Drinking Instructions on the Modification of Drinking Behavior

Dysphagia — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:02:23 +0100

Abstract Making appropriate recommendations for safe drinking behavior among different age groups requires understanding of differences between young and older adults in following them. The purpose of this study was to investigate how drinking behavior in terms of drinking speed and bolus size differs between young and older adults following instructions to change drinking rate. Thirty young (mean age 24.7 years) and 30 older (mean age 66.9 years) healthy female participants were recruited. All participants drank water under different drinking instructions: “as they normally would”, “as quickly as is comfortably possible”, and “slowly”. Results showed that when asked to drink quickly, both age groups increased drinking speed to a similar extent. When ...

Auditory complaints in disc jockeys in Recife

Revista CEFAC — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:22:16 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: all disc jockeys complained on hearing loss and, among the other auditory complaints, we may emphasize discomfort under intense sound and tinnitus. Considering the irreversibility of high sound pressure induced hearing loss, the disc jockeys might be periodically evaluated as for hearing in order to confirm or discard the hearing loss they complaint. If hearing loss exist, it might be monitored, in order to make possible an intervention by the speech-language therapist. Such being the case, we may perceive the need for speech therapy concerning the disc jockeys for optimizing their professional performance with less risks. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Auditory discrimination as a condition for E-learning based Speech Therapy: A proposal for an auditory discrimination test (ADT) for adult dysarthric speakers.

Journal of Communication Disorders — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The results of the healthy control group show that the majority of the ADT items meet our criterion for sensitivity to diminished auditory discrimination. The poorer performance of dysarthric patients across all subtests supports the sensitivity of the ADT. However, further research involving larger and more homogeneous groups of neurological patients is required. Learning outcomes: Readers will be encouraged to (1) identify potential factors that may hinder web based speech training and (2) estimate the value of assessing auditory discrimination skills as a vital condition for (web based) speech training in dysarthric patients. PMID: 21719027 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Communication Disorders)

The King's Psychotherapy

Psychology Today Anxiety Center — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:59:23 +0100

In The King’s Speech, Prince Albert gets the royal treatment – by being treated the same as everyone else. Albert’s good fortune, his path toward emotional liberation, is that his speech therapy incorporates so many features of psychoanalytic therapy. read more (Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center)

Dental surgery causes American woman to speak with British accent

NaturalNews.com — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) "When I talk now people ask me where I got my accent from. Well, I got it from a dentist in Toledo." jokes Karen Butler.Butler believes she has foreign accent syndrome, a condition so rare that there are only 60 known cases worldwide. Butler, a 56-year-old tax consultant who grew up in Toledo, Ore., woke up with the strange accent, which could be taken for anything from Eastern European to Swedish or British, after dental surgery in November 2009.Butler had the surgery to remove her top teeth and front bottom teeth due to gingivitis. After the swelling went down the following week, she had still not regained her original accent. Her dentist told her that it was a matter of getting used to the new teeth.But a year and a half later the accent remains."I had just had surgery, so...

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Search for compensation postures with videofluoromanometric investigation in dysphagic patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

La Radiologia Medica — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:04:36 +0100

Conclusions By correlating morphological with functional data, VFM enables one not only to precisely characterise the dysphagic disorder but also to identify the most appropriate compensation posture for each patient and verify its effectiveness. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-12DOI 10.1007/s11547-011-0698-1Authors A. Solazzo, Sezione di Radiologia, Dipartimento Magrassi-Lanzara, Seconda Università di Napoli, Naples, ItalyL. Del Vecchio, Sezione di Radiologia, Dipartimento Magrassi-Lanzara, Seconda Università di Napoli, Naples, ItalyA. Reginelli, Sezione di Radiologia, Dipartimento Magrassi-Lanzara, Seconda Università di Napoli, Naples, ItalyL. Monaco, II Clinica Neurologica, Seconda Università di Napoli, Naples, ItalyA. Sagnelli, Dipartimento di Gerontologi...

CO2 laser digital scanning system and injectable collagen for the treatment of sulcus vocalis

Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100

This article describes the authors' technique for treatment of sulcus vocalis using the CO2 laser digital scanning system and injectable collagen. The aim of this surgery is to increase the pliability of the vocal folds and decrease the glottal gap. The surgical technique is based on the concept of Cornut and Bouchayer, where the dissection of the epithelium adherent to the deep subepithelial plane improves the vocal fold vibration. When the vocal fold is atrophic, surgery is completed by collagen injection. This technique, combined with speech therapy, improves significantly voice efficiency. (Source: Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery)

Autosomal Dominant Cerebellar Ataxia Type 1: A Review of the Phenotypic and Genotypic Characteristics

Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases — Fri, 27 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Type I autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) is a type of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) characterized by ataxia with other neurological signs, including oculomotor disturbances, cognitive deficits, pyramidal and extrapyramidal dysfunction, bulbar, spinal and peripheral nervous system involvement. The global prevalence of this disease is not known. The most common type I ADCA is SCA3 followed by SCA2, SCA1, and SCA8, in descending order. Founder effects no doubt contribute to the variable prevalence between populations. Onset is usually in adulthood but cases of presentation in childhood have been reported. Clinical features vary depending on the SCA subtype but by definition include ataxia associated with other neurological manifestations. The clinical spectrum ranges from pure cerebe...

The reliability of the information provided by the individuals about their habitual tongue position

Revista CEFAC — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:40:14 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: the reliability of the information provided by the individuals in the sample on the usual position of the tongue varies from mild, regular, and therefore low, both in children as in adults. A possible strategy to be used in clinical speech therapy practice is questioning the patients about their tongue position after a period of observation. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

The knowledge that speech therapists in Porto Alegre/RS have about the speech therapy care as for the cochlear implant

Revista CEFAC — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:40:14 +0100

CONCLUSION: this research allowed us to conclude that the interviewed speech therapists in Porto Alegre did not have an adequate knowledge on speech therapy care in the cochlear implant. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Speech therapy group care

Revista CEFAC — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:40:14 +0100

Conclusion: it was concluded that the literature review on group therapy in the area of Speech Therapy identified different practices, linked to different theoretical perspectives. Regarding the criteria for group formation, the function of the speech therapist in the group, the prevalence of the group intervention in relation to the individual intervention, and there were differences of opinion since the review of the literature did not correspond to the expected theoretical consistency. This happened because there is a certain reflected adoption of concepts from other areas, without argumentation and without a restructuring demanded by the transposition to the speech therapy clinic. This is because there is no evident concern to articulate the theoretical studies to the elements that mak...

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: case report of speech therapy intervention

Revista CEFAC — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:40:14 +0100

CONCLUSION: a precocious speech-therapy intervention, based on myofunctional therapy techniques, showed good results in this case - Beckwith-Wiedmann syndrome with macroglossia. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Electropalatography in the description and treatment of speech disorders in five children with cerebral palsy.

Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Nordberg A, Carlsson G, Lohmander A Some children with cerebral palsy have articulation disorders that are resistant to conventional speech therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the visual feedback method of electropalatography (EPG) could be an effective tool for treating five children (mean age of 9.4 years) with dysarthria and cerebral palsy and to explore whether training improved the posteriorly placed articulation of the Swedish dental/alveolar target consonants /t/, /d/, /n/ and /s/ produced in different positions. An EPG analysis was conducted and some of the data were combined with a perceptual analysis. A more anterior placement was seen after treatment for the target sounds. Features of diagnostic importance revealed were unusual tongue-palate co...

Speech therapy for errors secondary to cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Seminars in Speech and Language — Sun, 01 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kummer AW Abstract Individuals with a history of cleft lip/palate or velopharyngeal dysfunction may demonstrate any combination of speech sound errors, hypernasality, and nasal emission. Speech sound distortion can also occur due to other structural anomalies, including malocclusion. Whenever there are structural anomalies, speech can be affected by obligatory distortions or compensatory errors. Obligatory distortions (including hypernasality due to velopharyngeal insufficiency) are caused by abnormal structure and not by abnormal function. Therefore, surgery or other forms of physical management are needed for correction. In contrast, speech therapy is indicated for compensatory articulation productions where articulation placement is changed in response to the abnormal s...

Instrumental assessment of velopharyngeal closure for speech.

Seminars in Speech and Language — Sun, 01 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Karnell MP Abstract The presence of a palatal cleft at birth should not prevent good speech production in most children provided they have (1) appropriate surgical intervention to close the palate at or around the child's first birthday, (2) careful monitoring of speech development throughout childhood, (3) speech therapy when needed, and (4) secondary surgical or speech-prosthetic intervention when needed. When managed carefully by an experienced, well-prepared multidisciplinary team that applies the criteria listed above, ~70% of children with nonsyndromic palatal clefts will have no significant difficulties with speech intelligibility or speech quality due to velopharyngeal insufficiency by the time they enter elementary school. Speech assessment is the first step towar...

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Gabrielle Giffords and Obama to attend launch of space shuttle Endeavour

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:03:06 +0100

US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a shooting in January, is in Florida to witness the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, commanded by her husband Mark KellyThe US space agency, Nasa, is braced for gridlock around the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Friday amid expectations that hundreds of thousands of spectators will flock to the area for the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour.Among the spectators will be Gabrielle Giffords, the US congresswoman who miraculously survived a bullet through the brain when a gunman attacked a meet-and-greet session in Tucson in January, killing six people. She will watch the 8.47pm BST (3.37 ET) launch with President Barack Obama on what will be her first public appearance since the shooting. It is only the second time th...

Gabrielle Giffords's remarkable recovery

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:30:01 +0100

When US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in January, few thought she would survive. But her slow improvement is gripping the nationWhen astronaut Mark Kelly blasts off at Cape Canaveral tomorrow afternoon, commanding a flight of the space shuttle Endeavour, millions of people will watch him and his crew soar into orbit. They will gaze at the fiery launch on televisions around the world, from beaches along the Florida coast and from special viewing platforms at the space centre. Among them, carefully hidden from public view, will be one very special pair of eyes: those of Kelly's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, whose presence at the launch is nothing short of a modern medical marvel.For Giffords should be dead. The previously little-known Democratic congresswoman for Arizona ...

Voice analysis after cancer treatment with organ preservation

BioMed Central — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Chemio-radiation organ preservation protocols in the patients studied may leave the organ but with reduced function which brings communication sequelae. In such cases, voice assessment and quality of life protocols, as well as speech therapy rehabilitation, are important tools to preserve function, measure and treat alterations, and reintegrate patients into the community. (Source: BioMed Central)

Relationship between occlusal findings and orofacial myofunctional status in primary and mixed dentition

Journal of Orofacial Orthopedics/Fortschritte der Kieferorthopadie — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:46:22 +0100

Conclusions Deviations from a regular arch form become apparent very early during dentition development and coexist with specific orofacial dysfunctions. They are thus important indicators for the early detection of functional abnormalities, causing deviations from normal dentition development. In children with orofacial dysfunctions the development of a narrow maxillary dental arch should be prevented by myofunctional therapy and by educating the parents. Interceptive orthodontic measures to treat a narrow maxillary arch in primary and early mixed dentition should also focus on eliminating functional disturbing factors, such as orofacial dysfunctions. Interdisciplinary cooperation with specialists in other fields of medicine, e.g. otorhinolaryngology and speech therapy, i...

Botulinum toxin type A: an effective treatment to restore phonation in laryngectomized patients unable to voice

Neurological Sciences — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:57:03 +0100

Abstract We evaluated the efficacy of Botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) as an alternative to surgical intervention to facilitate phonation in 34 laryngectomized patients (31 males and 3 women) who were unable to produce tracheoesophageal voice because of spasm of the middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscles (PCM). EMG was recorded to confirm activity in these muscles during attempted vocalization. Parapharyngeal nerve block (Carbocaine 2%, 5 cc) was used to demonstrate short-term fluent voice after relaxation of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. At a later occasion, 100 U of Botox (Allergan) in ten patients and 50 U in two patients were injected unilaterally at one location in the PCM percutaneously under EMG guidance. All patients then underwent a vo...

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Medicare Payment Basics: Rehabilitation Facilities (Inpatient) Payment System

Rural publications via the Rural Assistance Center — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:58:05 +0100

Presents an overview of Medicare payments for those receiving inpatient rehabilitation services, such a physical, occupational, or speech therapy. -- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Source: Rural publications via the Rural Assistance Center)

Blind randomized controlled study of the efficacy of cognitive training in Parkinson's disease

Movement Disorders — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

AbstractThe aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of a cognitive training program on cognitive performance and quality of life in nondemented Parkinson's disease patients. Participants who met UK Brain Bank diagnosis criteria for Parkinson's disease, with I–III Hoehn & Yahr, aged 50–80, and nondemented (Mini‐Mental State Examination ≥ 23) were recruited. Patient's cognitive performance and functional and quality‐of‐life measures were assessed with standardized neuropsychological tests and scales at baseline and after 4 weeks. Subjects were randomly and blindly allocated by age and premorbid intelligence (Vocabulary, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐III) into 2 groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received 4 weeks of 3 weekly 4...

Total Obturation of the Velopharynx for Treatment of Velopharyngeal Hypodynamism: Case Report.

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Dutka JC, Uemeoka E, Aferri HC, Pegoraro-Krook MI, Marino VC Abstract A child with microdeletion at 22q11.21 was referred to a craniofacial center due to hypernasality, unintelligible speech and bifid uvula. Velopharyngeal dysfunction remained after surgical repair of submucous cleft palate and speech therapy. A prosthetic-behavioral treatment approach involving total obturation of the velopharynx was successfully implemented for management of velopharyngeal hypodynamism. Key words: Velopharyngeal dysfunction, velopharyngeal hypodynamism, speech bulb, speech therapy, prosthetics. PMID: 21417778 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal)

Easier Said Than Done: Using Implants to Electrically Stimulate Paralyzed Vocal Cords

Scientific American Topic - Medical Technology — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:00:00 +0100

Vocal cord paralysis can strike as a result of a stroke, disease or trauma to the head or neck, thereby making breathing, swallowing and speaking difficult. Depending on the severity of the paralysis--it can affect either one or both of the elastic bands of muscle tissue that give us our voices--treatment can involve speech therapy, surface electrical stimulation or even surgery. Now a team of researchers is pursuing a way of alleviating such paralysis through a hybrid approach that involves placing electrodes just under the skin, where they can stimulate very specific nerves and potentially restore movement to a damaged vocal cord. [More] (Source: Scientific American Topic - Medical Technology)

Impaired language performance as a precursor or consequence of Rolandic epilepsy?

Journal of the Neurological Sciences — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Language is impaired in children with Rolandic epilepsy. In some children this impairment of language may even be a precursor, for the Rolandic epilepsy. It is undecided however, whether the language impairment develops gradually after the onset of epilepsy, whether Rolandic epilepsy and language impairment are both symptoms of an underlying syndrome or both develop during the process of epileptogenesis as we observed in some children the onset of language impairment before the onset of epilepsy. (Source: Journal of the Neurological Sciences)

Aspects of speech of subjects with cleft palate corrected in different ages

Revista CEFAC — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:24:44 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: based on the results obtained from the analysis of speech in subjects with cleft palate, we can conclude that one intervening factor important for their speech is the age in which the surgery had been carried through. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Generalization of syllabic structure in the treatment of phonological disorders

Revista CEFAC — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:24:44 +0100

CONCLUSION: the analysis has shown in detail the goals of generalization. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Different types of speech therapy in cases of simplifying the complex onset with compensatory lengthening

Revista CEFAC — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:24:44 +0100

CONCLUSION: children using SCL, benefit when submitted to therapy in order to promote an phonetic implementation and not the phonological organization, since that the patients who were exposed to TA obtained faster progresses when compared to the phonological model. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Speech and language therapy and the group: clinical and coletive health sources

Revista CEFAC — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:24:44 +0100

CONCLUSION: the group was an efficient and efficacy intervention strategy, in all cases, because of its theatrical assumptions. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Treatment of Advanced Parkinson's Disease

Anesthesiology Research and Practice — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:47:49 +0100

Patients at late stage Parkinson's disease (PD) develop several motor and nonmotor complications, which dramatically impair their quality of life. These complications include motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, unpredictable or absent response to medications, falls, dysautonomia, dementia, hallucinations, sleep disorders, depression, and psychosis. The therapeutic management should be driven by the attempt to create a balance between benefit and side effects of the pharmacological treatments available. Supportive care, including physical and rehabilitative interventions, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing care, has a key role in the late stage of disease. In this review we discuss the several complications experienced by advance PD patients and their management. The importan...

Defining 'Essential' Care

RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:33:41 +0100

Maggie Haslam's five-year-old autistic son, Drew, has undergone intense behavioral, physical and speech therapy that helped him learn to dress himself and communicate such concepts as "over" and "under." (Source: RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality)

Clinical and biological parameters in 166 boys, adolescents and adults with non‐mosaic Klinefelter syndrome. A Copenhagen Experience

Acta Paediatrica — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our patients presented with a wide spectrum of the classical Klinefelter symptoms. In adulthood two features were consistently present in every patient: Small testes and high LH/testosterone ratio, often despite of normal testosterone levels. Such biochemical parameters combined with small testes should lead to a suspicion of KS. (Source: Acta Paediatrica)

Inpatient and Postdischarge Rehabilitation Services Provided in the First Year After Spinal Cord Injury: Findings From the SCIRehab Study

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: SCI rehabilitation is often given in a care continuum, with inpatient rehabilitation being only the beginning. Reductions in inpatient SCI rehabilitation length of stay are well documented, but the postdischarge services that may replace some inpatient treatment appear to be greater than previously reported. The availability and impact of postdischarge care should be studied in greater detail to capture the wide array of postdischarge services and outcomes. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

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Cephalometric evaluation of facial pattern and hyoid bone position in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The results suggest that there are evident and early changes in facial growth and development among children with OSAS, characterized by increased total and inferior anterior heights of the face, as well as more anterior and inferior position of the hyoid bone. (Source: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)

Clinical and biological parameters in 166 boys, adolescents and adults with nonmosaic Klinefelter syndrome: a Copenhagen experience

Acta Paediatrica — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our patients presented with a wide spectrum of the classical Klinefelter symptoms. In adulthood, two features were consistently present in every patient: small testes and high LH/testosterone ratio, often despite normal testosterone levels. Such biochemical parameters combined with small testes should lead to a suspicion of KS. (Source: Acta Paediatrica)

Gabrielle Giffords's astronaut husband prepares for space mission

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:06:00 +0100

Mark Kelly is about to command the space shuttle Endeavour's final flight. But it is his wife Gabby's courageous battle that holds the US in thrall"As you may expect," wrote the congresswoman's mother, "Little Miss Over-Achiever is healing very fast." Gloria Giffords's humour oozed tough affection for a very tough daughter: Gabrielle Giffords, representative for the eighth congressional district of the desert state of Arizona and victim of the assassination attempt in Tucson that claimed the lives of six people, including one of her closest aides, a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl born on 11 September 2001.Congresswoman Giffords progresses in the care of her doctors, to their quiet astonishment. "There is no one like her," said Dr Imoigele Aisiku, director of neurocritical care at t...

The effect of a psycho-educational program on CARS scores and short sensory profile in autistic children.

European Journal of Paediatric Neurology — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Individually tailored psycho-educational therapy had a significant effect on autism severity according to CARS. Changes in the SSP scores were not significant. PMID: 21354837 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: European Journal of Paediatric Neurology)

Autism patients lose access to key services after high school

American Medical News - HEALTH — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:56:14 +0100

Only 9% continue to undergo speech therapy, a finding that surprised the study's authors. (Source: American Medical News - HEALTH)

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Objective Assessment of Swallowing Function After Definitive Concurrent (Chemo)radiotherapy in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

Dysphagia — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:05:42 +0100

Abstract The aim of this study was to objectively assess swallowing function and factors impacting it after curative intent definitive (chemo)radiotherapy (CRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Swallowing function was studied in a cohort of 47 patients with locoregionally advanced (T1–4, N0–3) HNSCC treated with definitive CRT. Objective assessment of swallowing function was done using modified barium swallow (MBS) at baseline (pre-CRT) and subsequent follow-ups. Scoring of MBS was done using penetration–aspiration scale (PAS). Abnormal swallowing was defined in terms of incidence and severity of penetration–aspiration, pharyngeal residue, postural change, and regurgitation. Aspiration, residual, postural change, and regurgitation were present on ...

The importance of production frequency in therapy for childhood apraxia of speech.

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Both treatment designs were effective, though frequent and intense practice of speech resulted in more rapid response to treatment in two children whose primary communication difficulty is CAS. PMID: 21330650 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology)

Concern over speech therapy

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:56:05 +0100

CONCERN WAS expressed yesterday over the service being provided to children requiring speech and language therapy across the State. (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

A Case of Nonfluent Aphasia Treated Successfully With Speech Therapy and Adjunctive Mixed Amphetamine Salts [LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci)

Post-High School Service Use Among Young Adults With an Autism Spectrum Disorder [Article]

Archives of Pediatrics — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Rates of service disengagement are high after exiting high school. Disparities by race and socioeconomic status indicate a need for targeted outreach and services. (Source: Archives of Pediatrics)

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The relationship among temporomandibular dysfunction and hearing alterations

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:11:17 +0100

CONCLUSION: many hypotheses try to explain the existent relationship among the Temporomandibular Dysfunction and hearing alterations. We verified that there is a link between the stomatognatic system and the hearing system. However, most important than just associating the stomatognatic and hearing systems, the team has been involved in the assistance to the patients, including the speech therapy professional that must have knowledge about anatomy and physiology of the Temporomandibular Joint and related disorders, causes and consequences. The said professional should be capable to distinguish the effective therapy for each disorder and evaluate the indications and contra-indications of each one, and, finally, examine the conduct with referrals being appropriate for the case evolution. (So...

Petition urges MSPs to save NHS speech therapy services

Scotsman.com News - Health — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

THE importance of speech and language therapy in the NHS should not be lost as part of financial cuts, MSPs have been warned. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

The King's Speech: Therapy that can speak volumes

the Mail online | Health — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:01:01 +0100

Colin Firth is tipped for an Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI, who underwent speech therapy for his stammer. This is one of a huge variety of disorders that can affect the ability to speak. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

'Essential benefits' a complex question in new health-care law

Wash Post Health — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:04:01 +0100

Should health insurers have to cover treatment of Lyme disease? What about speech therapy for autistic children? Or infertility treatments? (Source: Wash Post Health)

Speech therapy

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:09:39 +0100

How do you overcome a stammer? (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

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Stammering: lost for words

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:29:00 +0100

Stammering in films is usually just for the sake of cruel laughs. So thank heavens for the The King's Speech, says Keith Austin, who, like George VI, learned to overcome this common but terrifying speech disorderThere's a moment in The King's Speech, the new film about King George VI and his stutter, when the king (played by Colin Firth) meets his new speech therapist for the first time. The therapist is Australian-born Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, and he informs HRH that "we need to relax your jaw muscles". Firth swallows nervously, the tendons in his neck standing out, jaw muscles far from relaxed. He looks terrified, and eventually barks out one word: "Fine."It is a startling performance from Firth, though not many would know it. He has captured it perfectly: the fear, the dry...

A report on disability and rehabilitation medicine in pakistan: past, present, and future directions.

Rural Remote Health — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Rathore FA, New PW, Iftikhar A Rathore FA, New PW, Iftikhar A. A report on disability and rehabilitation medicine in Pakistan: past, present, and future directions. Disability is a stigma in Pakistan, and cultural norms are a hindrance to the integration of the disabled into the community. Additional barriers to addressing the needs of the disabled include the lack of reliable disability epidemiologic data, inadequate funding and poor health care infrastructure, and workforce shortages. The aim of this report is to present an overview of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) in Pakistan, covering its origins, current status, and future directions. An electronic literature search (1950-2009) was conducted using the Medline, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, CINAHL, and Go...

Speech therapy pilot to help stroke victims

Scotsman.com News - Health — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A MAJOR project has been launched in the Lothians for stroke victims struggling to recover the power of speech. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Arytenoid dislocation: An Analysis of the contemporary literature

The Laryngoscope — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:49:04 +0100

Conclusions:Although arytenoid dislocation is reported in the literature, the body of available evidence fails to sufficiently differentiate it as a separate entity from unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Flexible laryngoscopy is inadequate as a standalone procedure to distinguish arytenoid dislocation from laryngeal nerve injury. Laryngoscope, 2011 (Source: The Laryngoscope)

Speech therapy could help save NHS cash

Scotsman.com News - Health — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

INVESTMENT in speech and language therapy could help boost the Edinburgh economy by more than £10 million a year, a report has found. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

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Children with Unilateral Hearing Loss

Seminars in Hearing — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Semin Hear 2010; 31: 275-289DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1268030ABSTRACTIn the United States alone, unilateral hearing loss (UHL) affects 0.1 to 5% of school-aged children and 0.04 to 3.4% of infants at birth. Several studies from the 1980s and 1990s raised the specter that UHL in children was not as benign as common wisdom suggested. In children 6 to 12 years old, UHL is associated with significantly poorer oral language skills and vocabulary intelligence quotient scores. Children with UHL are at higher risk of receiving individualized educational plans in school and speech therapy. Quality of life in children also may be negatively affected by UHL, similar to children with bilateral hearing loss. Although a growing number of audiologists, deaf educators, and otolaryngologists acknowledge the prob...

Speech therapy saves NHS £13.3m a year

HSJ — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:42:00 +0100

Every £1 invested in speech and language therapy for stroke patients with swallowing problems – dysphagia – generates £2.3 in savings through avoided chest infections, a report shows. (Source: HSJ)

'Godfather of ecstasy' Alexander Shulgin suffers stroke

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:01:45 +0100

• California's psychedelic drug pioneer, 85, has speech therapy• Family and friends appeal for help with Medicare treatmentAlexander Shulgin, the "godfather of ecstasy" who became famous for discovering and experimenting with a host of psychoactive compounds, has suffered a stroke.His wife, Ann Shulgin, confirmed today that the 85-year-old was in hospital in San Francisco. "Sasha had a mild stroke over [last] weekend and is still in the hospital, where they are treating him. He will be undergoing speech therapy for a while," she said.Shulgin, a pharmacologist and psychedelic drug pioneer, has been demonised by anti-drug campaigners but also hailed as a counter-culture hero by many more. His work has covered the synthesis of hundreds of psychoactive compounds and his research was publis...

The importance of non-verbal communication for teachers in the exercise of their professional activities

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSION: the research showed that the investigated students and teachers evaluated the non-verbal communication as important for the effectiveness of interaction and can interfere in the performance of teachers in the classroom. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Temporomandibular Disorders: signs, symptoms and multidisciplinary approach

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSION: in the researched sample, the prevalence of cases related to temporomandibular dysfunction was higher in the feminine gender, with pain complaint. The main signs and symptoms were: pain, unilateral crack and locking and there was a referral for multidisciplinary cares for speech therapy, physiotherapy and psychology areas. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Oropharyngeal dysphagia in children with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSION: these findings indicate changes in the orofacial sensoriomotor aspects and impaired swallowing biomechanics. The important alterations in swallowing detected in these cases may correspond to typical manifestations of Cornelia de Lange syndrome. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Amateur choir: the effect of speech therapy intervention

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

OBJETIVO: verificar os efeitos de uma proposta de intervenção fonoaudiológica com base na prática educativa, por meio de avaliação de fonoaudiólogos, professores de canto e dos próprios coristas amadores participantes, analisando, em momento pré e pós-intervenção fonoaudiológica, os parâmetros de respiração, projeção e tessitura vocal na voz cantada. MÉTODOS: o programa teve o referencial teórico de ZABALA (1998) sobre a prática educativa. Dez cantores de coral amador responderam a um questionário de caracterização e realizaram gravações da extensão vocal e canto, pré e pós-intervenção. Durante seis encontros, foi abordado o aquecimento vocal, anatomia e fisiologia da voz cantada, bem-estar vocal, respiração e propriocepção da voz. As gravações foram an...

Speech therapy and health promotion: an experience report based on domiciliary visit

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: the oral speech therapy related alterations were the most commonly referred to by the visited population, as well as the demand for guidance on the sensory-motor-oral functions. Focus has been place on health promotion and education based on domiciliary visits. The effectiveness of the actions performed should be evaluated. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Speech therapy and sleepy apnae: a review

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSION: with this study, we can identify SOHAS complexity and show the importance of performance in speech therapy for these patients for a better quality of life. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Vocal acoustic measures in Parkinson disease: case study

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:23:43 +0100

CONCLUSION: aging process and its consequences seem to act as an interference factor in the changes of acoustic voice, but apparently, PD and the early age of its appearance may come to enhance these changes, reflecting a negative impact on phonation. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

The effect of arts speech therapy on cerebral oxygenation and low frequency hemodynamic oscillations measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy

European Journal of Integrative Medicine — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:38:01 +0100

Introduction: As a previous study revealed, arts speech therapy (AST) affects cardiorespiratory interaction . The aim of the present study was to investigate whether AST also has effects on brain oxygenation and hemodynamics measured non-invasively using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). (Source: European Journal of Integrative Medicine)

Cerebellar mutism

Child's Nervous System — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:49:00 +0100

Conclusion The incidence of cerebellar mutism is well documented in children with medulloblastoma, but precise figures for those with astrocytoma and ependymoma are lacking. Further anatomical, functional imaging and neuropsychological studies are needed to clarify the pathophysiological mechanisms in order to define preventive measures during surgery. Randomized, controlled trials of the effects of different medication and post-operative speech therapy are necessary for improving treatment. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00381-010-1328-2Authors Thora Gudrunardottir, Department of Pediatrics, The University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkAstrid Sehested, Department of Pediatrics, The University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, D...

Extending Multidisciplinary Management of Cleft Palate to the Developing World

Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The needs of patients with a cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) extend beyond surgical repair. A multidisciplinary approach to the care of patients with CL/P is the widely accepted standard in most regions of the developed world. Patients with CL/P in developing countries have needs similar to those of patients in industrialized nations. However, the existing shortages of healthcare resources have precluded provision of the most basic care to those with a CL/P. Innovative applications of technology can facilitate the delivery of speech therapy, evaluation of audiometric data, and limited dental evaluation for these patients with a modest financial investment. One method by which this care might be provided is with the use of Internet-based modalities. This represents a near universally availab...

Inpatient tube weaning in children with long‐term feeding tube dependency: A retrospective analysis

Infant Mental Health Journal — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study investigates the outcome of an intervention program to establish oral feeding after prolonged tube feeding in children. The intervention is based on supervised reduction of enteral formula within a few days supported by a 3‐week program of speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychoanalytically based eating therapy, physical therapy, psychodynamic coaching, and nutritional counseling of the infant and his or her parents. Two hundred twenty‐one cases were included in this study. All patients had been severely ill or were handicapped and had been exclusively fed by tube for most of their lives. The major outcome variable was complete discontinuation of tube feeding with sufficient oral feeding after treatment, defined as the child's ability to sustain stable body weight by se...

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Epigenotype-phenotype correlations in Silver-Russell syndrome

Journal of Medical Genetics — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Background Silver–Russell syndrome (SRS) is characterised by intrauterine growth restriction, poor postnatal growth, relative macrocephaly, triangular face and asymmetry. Maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) of chromosome 7 and hypomethylation of the imprinting control region (ICR) 1 on chromosome 11p15 are found in 5–10% and up to 60% of patients with SRS, respectively. As many features are non-specific, diagnosis of SRS remains difficult. Studies of patients in whom the molecular diagnosis is confirmed therefore provide valuable clinical information on the condition. Methods A detailed, prospective study of 64 patients with mUPD7 (n=20) or ICR1 hypomethylation (n=44) was undertaken. Results and conclusions The considerable overlap in clinical phenotype makes it difficult to d...

CASLPA Celebrates Sounds, Syllables And Flow Of Speech On International Stuttering Day, Canada

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0100

King George VI recognized the importance of speech therapy to treat his stuttering nearly 100 years ago, and it is just as important today. The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists celebrates the important work of speech-language pathologists to help people who stutter on International Stuttering Day October 22. Stuttering is a communication disorder that involves disruption in the normal flow of rhythm of speech. Characteristics can include repetition of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, hesitations, prolongations or interjections... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Communication impairment and activity limitation in stroke patients with severe aphasia.

Disability and Rehabilitation — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. We conclude that there is a great need for speech therapy research to develop new compensatory or alternative strategies for patients with severe aphasia. PMID: 20958196 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Disability and Rehabilitation)

Characterization of the speech of individuals submitted to primary palatoplasty

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:19:02 +0100

CONCLUSION: Most subjects presented balanced resonance or acceptable hypernasality and absence of compensatory articulation, regardless the type of cleft, surgical technique and age range, although no significant differences were found. Among the conducts adopted after the first evaluation following primary palatoplasty, speech therapy was the most frequent. (Source: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia)

Early unilateral laryngeal paralysis after pulmonary resection with mediastinal dissection for cancer.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with an early unilateral laryngeal paralysis after pulmonary resection with mediastinal lymph node dissection for cancer, laryngeal medialization has a beneficial impact on swallowing, speech, and voice, resulting in a better quality of life. Persistent swallowing impairment after laryngeal medialization must be managed aggressively, given the risk for delayed pneumonia and even death from aspiration. PMID: 20868789 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery)

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Poster 148: Children With Primary Language Impairment Transitioning to School: Utilization and Satisfaction With Rehabilitation Services

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:45:42 +0100

Conclusions: While parents perceive a continuing need for rehabilitation services once children transition to school, many children are not receiving those services and others are experiencing a shift in the type and frequency of services offered to them. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

Poster 152: Use of Medical and Rehabilitation Services in Children With Motor Impairments in Canada

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:45:42 +0100

Conclusions: Children with motor impairment often require a wide range of coordinated health and rehabilitation services. Clinical and demographic factors are associated with inequities in the access to and utilization of medical, social, and rehabilitation services. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

Poster 135: Illuminating the Black Box of Rehabilitation Interventions to Describe Services Delivered

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:45:41 +0100

Conclusions: SCI rehabilitation treatment variation is not well explained by patient/injury characteristics and the details of the treatment processes may help explain outcomes. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

Poster 61: Effect of Therapy and Economic Efficiency of Patients After Stroke in A Rehabilitation Hospital Compared to A Chinese Traditional Medicine Hospital

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:45:37 +0100

Objective: To study the efficacy of economy and therapy effect of patients after stroke in a rehabilitation hospital compared to a Chinese traditional medicine hospital at Beijing area. Design: Controlled study. Setting: Standard rehabilitation course. Participants: 54 patients came from Neurology Department of a big general hospital in Chaoyang district in Beijing. 27 patients transfer to a special rehabilitation hospital (SRH). We matched the other 27 patients who transfer to a Chinese traditional hospital (CTH) as control group. Interventions: The control group was mainly treated with Chinese traditional medicine methods, such as acupuncture and massage. The treatment group received the standard rehabilitation procedure, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech thera...

Poster 46: Balance of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Services Provided in Inpatient and Postdischarge Settings

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:45:33 +0100

Conclusions: SCI rehabilitation, at least for many individuals, is given in a continuum with inpatient rehabilitation being only the beginning. Reductions in inpatient SCI rehabilitation length of stay are well-documented, but the postdischarge services that replace inpatient treatment appear to be more significant than previously reported. This points to the importance of studying the availability and impact of postdischarge care in greater detail to explain SCI rehabilitation outcomes, and a need for the development of better methods to capture the wide array of postdischarge services. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

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Early Unilateral Laryngeal Paralysis After Pulmonary Resection With Mediastinal Dissection for Cancer [ORIGINAL ARTICLES: GENERAL THORACIC]

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:14:09 +0100

Conclusions In patients with an early unilateral laryngeal paralysis after pulmonary resection with mediastinal lymph node dissection for cancer, laryngeal medialization has a beneficial impact on swallowing, speech, and voice, resulting in a better quality of life. Persistent swallowing impairment after laryngeal medialization must be managed aggressively, given the risk for delayed pneumonia and even death from aspiration. (Source: The Annals of Thoracic Surgery)

The effect of lip strengthening exercises in children and adolescents with myotonic dystrophy type 1

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:25:40 +0100

Conclusions: Maximal lip force and lip force endurance can improve in school aged children and adolescents with DM1. Improved lip strength alone cannot be expected to have an effect on lip articulation, saliva control, or eating and drinking ability in this population. Lip strengthening exercises can be a complement but not a replacement for speech therapy and dysphagia treatment. A prefabricated oral screen is an easy to use tool suitable for strengthening lip exercises. (Source: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)

Quality of life and voice after radiotherapy: speech therapy repercussions

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:35:04 +0100

CONCLUSION: many acute and chronic sequelae, such as hoarseness, odinophagy and aphony, involving difficulties in oral communication and/or swallowing in patients after neck and head radiotherapy treatment, interfering with communication, swallowing, and life quality of patients in a direct manner. The professionals involved with the treatment of this cancer, with the speech-language pathologist among them, through the knowledge on the treatment and its therapeutic weaknesses that jeopardize the vocal quality and life quality of those patients, seek to contribute in the recovery process in order to minimize damages caused by the disease and improving the individual's health condition. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Hearing abilities and analysis in an oralized hearing-impaired child with HIV: a case study

Revista CEFAC — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:35:04 +0100

CONCLUSION: the development of auditory skills is crucial to oral language acquisition by the hearing impaired. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Telemedicine Speech Therapy Works Well

AAP Grand Rounds — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:41 +0100

(Source: AAP Grand Rounds)

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Adult Laryngotracheal Surgery

Anesthesiology Clinics — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

The human larynx plays a pivotal role in airway protection, respiration, and phonation. Laryngeal disorders can be divided into two categories, benign lesions and malignant lesions. Most benign lesions are treatable with surgery and speech therapy, whereas the malignant lesions require more invasive surgery as well as radiation and chemotherapy. Preoperative assessment and anesthesia management for adult laryngotracheal surgery are reviewed. (Source: Anesthesiology Clinics)

A rare case of laryngeal dystonia associated with neurosyphilis: Response to botulinum toxin injection1

The Laryngoscope — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We report a unique case of laryngeal dystonia in a 43‐year‐old male with neurosyphilis who underwent successful treatment with botulinum toxin injection. To date there have been no reports of laryngeal dystonia associated with neurosyphilis. The patient initially presented with strained and stuttering voice despite systemic penicillin therapy. After 2 months of speech therapy with limited relief, the patient received botulinum toxin injection to each thyroarytenoid muscle. Postinjection videostroboscopy showed marked improvement of voice quality. (Source: The Laryngoscope)

Implementation of multidisciplinary advice to allied health care professionals regarding the management of their patients with neuromuscular diseases.

Disability and Rehabilitation — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. The extent to which multidisciplinary advice was implemented differed for OT and ST compared to PT and for the setting (primary care or rehabilitation). Possible barriers were identified at different levels. We recommend follow-up telephone calls to provide therapists opportunity for discussion. PMID: 20804405 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Disability and Rehabilitation)

TRICARE: Non-Physician Referrals for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy; Final Rule

Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:00:00 +0100

The Department of Defense is publishing this final rule to provide TRICARE approval for authorizing certified physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners (non-physicians) to engage in referrals of beneficiaries to the Military Health System for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. (Source: Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center)

TRICARE: non-physician referrals for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Final rule.

Fed Regist — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: The Department of Defense is publishing this final rule to provide TRICARE approval for authorizing certified physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners (non-physicians) to engage in referrals of beneficiaries to the Military Health System for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Upon implementation of this provision, certified physician assistants, or certified nurse practitioners will be allowed to issue referrals to patients for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy without having the patient see a physician. This rule will align TRICARE with Medicare's allowance of "non-physician providers" to provide, certify, or supervise therapy services. PMID: 20718124 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Fed Regist)

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Epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow wave sleep in a child diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified

Sleep Medicine — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:02:29 +0100

A 9-year-old boy with an unremarkable birth history, normal neurological examination and a neurodevelopmental history for language delay was diagnosed at 3years of age with atypical autism, also known as pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). In 2005, at 4years of age, he was referred to an outside hospital for a 24-h ambulatory EEG recording to evaluate multiple nocturnal events associated with vomiting and lethargy. Initial EEG findings suggested left sided frontal and temporal sharp waves. Despite weekly speech therapy, he continued to exhibit expressive language delays and a failure to gain developmental milestones. From 2005 to 2009 he had multiple abnormal EEG recordings demonstrating epileptiform activity during sleep. A video-EEG monitoring session even...

Autism advocates and families celebrate new bill

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:44:09 +0100

While there’s currently no cure for autism spectrum disorders, experts agree that intensive behavioral therapies, like applied behavioral therapy (ABA), can make a huge difference. Research shows it needs to be intensive to be effective, to the tune of 20 hours a week. But in Massachusetts, insurance companies often don’t cover ABA and families must pay out of pocket for expensive therapies. Now, the new autism insurance bill, signed by Governor Deval Patrick today, hopes to remedy that. “I really see this as a civil rights issue,” says Carolyn Bridgemohan, MD, of Children’s Hospital Boston’s Developmental Medicine Center. “This bill validates the rights of people with special needs to have fair and equal access to the health care that they need.” How many people do you kno...

Introduction

Progress in Pediatric Cardiology — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Improved survival following surgical repair of congenital heart defects (CHD), combined with increased expectations for independence and behavioral self-regulation as the children advance in school, has led to a growing recognition of neurodevelopmental dysfunction, behavioral symptoms and impaired functional outcome in over 50% of survivors. There is a distinctive pattern of neurobehavioral dysfunction characterized by mild cognitive impairment, impaired social interaction, and deficits in core communication skills including pragmatic language, as well as, inattention, impulsive behavior, and impaired executive function. There is a striking similarity and overlap of the characteristics of the neurobehavioral sequelae of cardiac surgery in infancy and the behavioral phenotypes of autism sp...

Choice of target sounds for therapy: analysis focused on distinctive features

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:20:09 +0100

This study had the aim to verify the effectiveness of the therapy proposed by the Multiple Oppositions Model, taking into consideration the target sounds chosen, as well as to analyze the acquired sounds and the distinctive features, based on the target sounds. The researched group comprised five children with phonological disorder, with an average age of 6;1 (years;months). Speech-language pathology and complementary evaluations were carried out. After the assessments, the subjects underwent speech therapy using the Multiple Oppositions Model. After treatment, another evaluation was carried out, in order to compare the therapeutic evolution and the effectiveness of the chosen sound targets for each subject. The phonological inventory and the number of altered distinctive features before a...

Evaluating the Feasibility and the Potential Efficacy of e-Learning-Based Speech Therapy (EST) as a Web Application for Speech Training in Dysarthric Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Case Study

Telemedicine and e-Health — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:02:35 +0100

Telemedicine and e-Health , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Telemedicine and e-Health)

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What Are Fine Motor Problems that I Should Refer To an Occupational Therapist?

PediatricEducation.org — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:01:12 +0100

Discussion Fine motor movements affect almost everything we do on a daily basis such as moving and manipulating tools and objects, preparing and eating meals, personal hygiene, communicating through writing and typing, counting change, opening doors, etc. Occupational therapists (OTs) are highly skilled professionals who assist children and families in some of the most important activities of life. OTs may work in hospitals, clinics, schools, rehabilitations centers and other locations, and a master’s degree is needed for an entry level position. Pediatric occupational therapists consider the wide range of developmental attainment for children. Depending on the problem, they may also need to consider rehabilitation needs if skills are lost through disease or accident in a child. OTs ...

Is speech therapy useful as a complementary treatment for post-tonsillectomy pain?

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:12:13 +0100

Conclusion: Speech therapy may cause to strengthen the soft palate muscles and alleviate constant post-tonsillectomy pain. This therapy may be used as a complementary treatment with standard analgesics. (Source: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)

A status report on management of cleft lip and palate in India

Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:57:56 +0100

Conclusion: Management of CLP differs in India. Primary surgical practices are almost similar to other studies. There is a lack of interdisciplinary approach in majority of the centers, and hence, there is a need for better interaction amongst the specialists. A more comprehensive study with an improved questionnaire would be desirable. (Source: Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery)

Language abilities and gestural communication in a girl with bilateral perisylvian syndrome: a clinical and rehabilitative follow-up

Neurological Sciences — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:08:43 +0100

We present the neuropsychological and linguistic follow-up of a girl with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria during 4 years of gestural and verbal speech therapy. Some researchers have suggested that children with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria mentally fail to reach the syntactic phase and do not acquire a productive morphology. This patient achieved a mean length of utterance in signs/gestures of 3.4, a syntactic phase of completion of the nuclear sentence and the use of morphological modifications. We discuss the link between gesture and language and formulate hypotheses on the role of gestural input on the reorganization of compensatory synaptic circuits. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10072-010-0309-2Authors Bruna Molteni, Fo...

The articulatory and the phonological at language clinic: from theory to practice

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: it was shown that, despite the great improvements in linguistic knowledge, in practice, some speech therapists still keep the thecnicist character that took part in the history of Speech Therapy. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Patient with choreoathetoid cerebral palsy: post therapeutic intervention

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: speech and language therapy intervention, together with the work of a multidisciplinary dysphagia team, promotes better swallowing efficacy and security, with a decrease in suggestive signs of tracheal aspiration, bronchopneumonia and weight increase. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Taking care of the caregiver: valuing of the quality of life of the aphasics caregivers

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: the results showed that the aphasic's caregivers shows physical and emotional burden, being of extreme importance knowing their necessities, to better assist and guide them, trying to minimize the burden and improving quality of life. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Speech therapy and snore and sleep apnea

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: some possible speech pathologies found in these patients are: enlarged tongue presenting hypotonia, soft palate with increased volume, difficulty in feeding due to insufficient intake of air and bruxism, possibly caused by tension and anxiety of bad night's sleep. Other changes can be found due to surgical treatment used in some cases, such as dysphagia or even alterations in speech and resonance of speech caused by an uvulopalatoplasty. The focus of speech therapy is the myotherapy of the involved muscles, prioritizing the palatal muscles. It is perceived that the speech therapists can help to ease the symptoms found in these diseases, providing a better life quality for their patients. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Phonological deviations in elementary school

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: the phonetic approach to phonological deviation based the ranking of distinctive features and on phonological awareness expanded the phonetic inventory and those children's phonological system, improving the recruiting between the phonemes and the performance of the abilities concerning manipulation speech sounds, consequently providing speech intelligibility. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

Speech Therapy intervention with textual genders in a group of school age children

Revista CEFAC — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:57:24 +0100

CONCLUSION: the therapy with textual genders motivated other practices in reading and writing in the studied group. Additionally, the case studies show no reference to real disorders, but lack of efficient practice in written language. (Source: Revista CEFAC)

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Vidyo unveils new telemedicine platform

Healthcare IT News — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:49:37 +0100

Vidyo, Inc., is giving healthcare executives something to talk about as they head to San Antonio for next week’s American Telemedicine Association conference. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Telemedicine connects Texas, New Jersey practitioners and patients

Healthcare IT News Press Releases — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:29:50 +0100

Vidyo, Inc., has recently launched VidyoHealth, a scalable telemedicine videoconferencing suite that leverages the Internet and other general purpose IP networks, for a broad range of applications such as telepsychiatry, home-health and eldercare, speech therapy, and specialist consultations. (Source: Healthcare IT News Press Releases)

Mayo Clinic Releases First Children's Book Based On Therapy Dog

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 09 May 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Mayo Clinic released its first children's book featuring "Dr. Jack," a 9-year-old miniature pinscher who is Mayo's first facility-based service dog. Escorted by his owner, Mayo employee Marcia Fritzmeier, Jack is part of the health care team that helps patients with physical activity, rehabilitation, and speech therapy. Mayo physicians place an order in a patient's medical record when requesting a visit by Dr. Jack, who sees approximately eight to 10 patients per day... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

The impact of speech therapy on asthma and allergic rhinitis control in mouth breathing children and adolescents.

Jornal de Pediatria — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Speech therapy in combination with beclomethasone diproprionate through exclusively nasal inhalation resulted in earlier and longer-lasting clinical and functional control of asthma, allergic rhinitis, mouth breathing than was achieved in the group that only took beclomethasone diproprionate. PMID: 20449526 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Jornal de Pediatria)