Speech and Language Therapy Question 2022

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY 1
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY
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SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY 2
Question a
When attributing to causes of non-organic voice disorder, the problem is often psychosomatic.
There are two types of non-organic voice disorder; psychogenic aphonia, where the disorder is
more attributed to psychosocial factors and professional dysphonia, this type of disorder is
caused as a result of misuse of the vocals, dissatisfaction from the workplace or conflicts at home
(Behlau et al., 2016).
The happenings that led to the consultation of a doctor is an important aspect. Situations like the
onset of the disorder, the work that the patient was doing at the moment, and the intensity of the
disease will be necessary. As the patient explains, the doctor will take keen the impairments in
the speech, including sound production and nonverbal ques.
In the diagnosis of Sade’s` voice disorder, the most crucial aspect for a pediatrician to know
would be her medical record. Voice disorders can be caused by the usage of specific medicines
that alter with the vocal cords or production of vocal fluids (Da Cunha Pereira et al., 2018).
Antidepressants, antihypertensive, allergy medications, and asthma inhalers are some of the
medicines that can have some adverse effects on somebody’s voice. In the case of Sade, her
medical history does not show any use of meds that could have led to this problem.
The second factor in assessing is the degree to which the patient feels affected by the voice. This
helps the doctor to determine if there is any indication of conflict or social stress in the patient
that could have led to their disorder (Ogawa and Inohara, 2018). In the case of Sade, there is a
considerable chance that her dysphonia is caused by anxiety, injuries, being annoyed, or
disappointed. For Sade, this may be caused by the fact that she has got loads of work to do

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY 3
during the day in an environment that may be making her too tired and has nobody to complain
to about it. Sade takes care of her elderly parents; if her parents are a little stubborn or need a lot
of attention that Sade cannot accord them, frustrations may be causing her trauma therefore, Sade
should also be questioned on her private life to establish whether there might be other things in
her life that may be causing dissatisfaction
The other possibility lies with the overuse of her vocals and muscle tension. In assessment, if it is
determined that Sade’s voice disorder is a result of vocal misuse, the kind of therapy she needs
will be more symptom-oriented. If the disorder is a result of psychosocial, the physician should
then consider taking some tests for laryngitis. Diseases like common cold and overuse of vocal
codes can cause a voice disorder called laryngitis. If the cause is trauma, some additional
counseling will accompany the Voice Therapy (VT).
Question b
Voice therapy is meant to change how people care for their voices. Pathologists have a wide
array of treatments that they can use to modify the vocal behaviors of their patients. Indirect
voice therapy takes about 25% of the total time taken in full therapy, while direct treatment takes
75% of the time. In indirect voice therapy, individual components are addressed more than
others, depending on the intensity of the disorder and the causes. However, indirect voice
therapy, physicians tend to use conventional methods when solving all voice problems.
Indirect approaches focus on modifying the cognitive, behavioral, and psychological
environments, which may have taken part in the disorder. Several indirect therapies may help
Sade regain her speech. One of the indirect treatments is patient education; in this therapy, the

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY 4
doctor advises the patient on normal physiology of sound production in humans, the impacts of a
voice disorder on their health, and educates them on ways in which they can maintain vocal
health. For Sade’s case, this would not be the ideal therapy for Sade because her evidence does
not show any signs of vocal misuse. The second indirect therapy and one that I would advise for
in the case Sade is counseling, this therapy is done by identifying strategies for stress
management and ways in which to modify psychosocial factors that may affect the health of her
vocals.
During indirect therapy, clinicians may begin by identifying behaviors that may be the cause of
voice troubles, e.g., shouting, throat clearing, and coughing. The doctor will also advise the
patient on how to maintain vocal hygiene practices like drinking plenty of water and not talking
too loudly. Sade will most likely be encouraged to practice some actions that will help restore
her vocals, for example, drinking a lot of water. Drinking water will help in secretion of the
vocal, fluid, which will help reduce discomfort when talking. She may also be advised against
clearing her throat with a cough but take a sip of a drink and swallow to avoid banging her vocal
cords.
Sade will also be advised to avoid eating food that contains a lot of spices, foods with a lot of
spices will often make one want to clear their throat or may make their throat dry thus leading to
discomfort while speaking. A vocal function exercise will also be done on the patient. This
therapy involves systematic voice manipulation to help regain a healthy voice function and to
strengthen the musculature of the laryngeal (Mezzedimi, Livi, and Spinosi, 2017). The specialist
will guide Sade on the way in which she can do some simple exercises to help maintain her
vocals until they are healthy again.