It may seem like just about everything a speech therapist treats is a voice disorder. However, this is a unique category of speech disorder.
A voice disorder is a disorder that affects the quality of one’s voice. It can include pitch, loudness, rate of speech, resonance, and much more. Broadly speaking, a voice disorder is a disorder where you feel like your voice does not meet your needs.
Here at Voz Speech Therapy, one of the speech therapy specialty services we offer is treatment for voice disorders.
Voice disorders can affect both adults and children, but in most cases they are treatable.
Let’s take a closer look at these disorders, and how we can help.
Speech Therapy For Hypokinetic Dysarthria
Dysarthria is a speech sound disorder related to the muscles we use to speak. This can cause some pretty significant issues in your ability to communicate.
There are a number of different types of dysarthria, but they have many of the same symptoms. Some of them may include:
- Issues with breath while speaking
- Issues with maintaining pitch
- Articulation issues like distorted vowels or slurred consonants
- Hypernasality
- Hyponasality
- Short bursts of speech
- Facial tics or tremors
Hypokinetic dysarthria in particular is commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease. As a result, speech therapy for neurological conditions often covers this condition as well.
As you may notice, some of the symptoms above mirror some of the conditions listed below as well.
Speech therapy for hypokinetic dysarthria can help.
Working with a speech therapist can help you address the weaknesses associated with your condition, and find ways to compensate. We’ll teach you new ways to communicate, incorporating AAC where necessary.
The goal is to help you regain a sense of naturalness with your communication.
Book your appointment with Voz Speech Therapy today to find out more.
Speech Therapy For Monotone Pitch
If you speak in a monotone voice, you may find communication to be difficult. It’s not necessarily that people can’t understand you (though it may be); rather that they tend to lose interest in what you’re saying.
You may have some fascinating and exciting ideas to express, but without the ability to express them clearly the effect falls flat.
Beyond this, though, research has shown that people who have monotone voices tend to be more difficult to understand.
As well, it may be that a monotone voice is a symptom of another disorder that may affect your speech, including:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Social anxiety
- Testosterone – cisgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women who’ve had testosterone-raising conditions like PCOS are all more likely to have monotone voices
- Hypokinetic dysarthria
- Stroke
Whether your monotone voice is caused by another disorder, or it’s just a habit, we can help.
Here at Voz Speech Therapy, we’ll work with you to uncover the root cause of your monotone speech and build a treatment plan designed to help you communicate more clearly.
If you’re having trouble being understood, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Book your appointment at Voz Speech Therapy to find out more.
Speech Therapy For Breathiness & Hoarseness
If others describe your voice as hoarse or breathy, there are a few different possible causes. These can include:
- Chronic acid reflux
- Overuse of your vocal folds – frequent screaming, for example
- Frequent and long-term smoking
- Being dehydrated
- Laryngitis
- Issues with the muscles that control your voice box
- Thyroid issues
- Vocal cord polyps or cysts
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Chronic stress, anxiety, or depression
If you notice your voice is becoming hoarser or more breathy, it may be a sign of a deeper health issue. Regardless, it’s a good idea to speak with a speech therapist to find out the cause.
Once you do, your speech therapist can help by working with you to manage your hoarseness so your voice feels smoother. If there’s a deeper underlying condition, your speech therapist can refer you to a qualified practitioner who can help address the root cause of the issue.
Book your appointment with Voz Speech Therapy today.
Speech Therapy For Low Volume Speech
Are people constantly asking you to speak up?
If so, you may have an issue with speaking at a low volume. And there are many different reasons why that might be the case. They include:
- Cultural differences – certain cultures value softer, quieter voices over others
- Having a physically smaller larynx
- Age – older people tend to have weaker vocal folds
- Difficulty with the muscles that control your vocal folds
- Low self-esteem
- History of trauma
- Depression
Each of these issues has a solution, and your speech therapist can help you find it.
Whether through speech exercises to strengthen your larynx or a referral to another healthcare provider to help address the underlying cause, Voz Speech Therapy can help. Book your appointment today.
Book Your Appointment With Voz Speech Therapy Today
Do you have a voice disorder that’s affecting your ability to communicate clearly?
If so, we can help.
Book your appointment with Voz Speech Therapy today.