Voice & Swallowing

In order to determine the right treatment for you or your child’s speech or swallowing problems, the speech-language pathologist must first determine the cause of the symptoms. To do so, they will complete a series of tests. Swallowing Evaluations After reviewing your medical history, your doctor will complete a physical exam. They will then watch…

Speech Disorders Speech disorders occur when a patient (typically a child) has trouble producing certain sounds. They can be broken down into different categories depending on the nature of the problem. Speech disorders include: Articulation disorders. The patient has trouble with certain syllables or pronounces words incorrectly to such an extent that it is extremely…

When you swallow, you are chewing food and moving it to the esophagus, a tube that connects to the stomach. Dysphagia, the medical term for difficulty swallowing, is characterized by the sensation of food or liquid getting stuck in the throat or chest. There are numerous factors that can cause swallowing difficulty, most of them…

Vocal cords, also called vocal folds, play an important role in how we produce sounds. First there must be air in your lungs, which occurs through the act of inhaling. The air is then pushed through the lungs into your windpipe. At the top of the windpipe sit your vocal cords, which stay open when…

Keeping your voice healthy will ensure you are able to communicate properly, and for some people who rely on it to earn a living – singers, teachers and lawyers, for instance – good voice health is essential. These same individuals tend to put more strain on their vocal cords. Even those whose professions don’t require…