This is my completion certificate for the SPEAK OUT! therapy program for Parkinson's. This course was extremely beneficial to my learning about voice disorders and their treatment. The goal of this program is to support individuals to live and speak with intent! These intense and deliberate vocal exercises have been shown to improve awareness, vocal intensity, functional communication, and quality of life for individuals with Parkinson's disease and hypokinetic dysarthria (Behrman et al., 2020; Levitt et al., 2015; Levitt & Walker-Batson, 2018). I hope to soon have the opportunity to implement these skills into my practice.  

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ASHA's resource

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Behrman, A., Cody, J., Elandary, S., Flom, P., & Chitnis, S. (2020). The Effect of SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd on Dysarthria Due to Parkinson's Disease. American journal of speech-language pathology, 29(3), 1448–1465. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00024

Levitt, J. S., Chitnis, S., & Walker-Batson, D. (2015). The Effects of the “SPEAK OUT! ®” and “LOUD Crowd®” Voice Programs for Parkinson Disease. International Journal of Health Sciences, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.15640/ijhs.v3n2a3 

 Levitt JS, & Walker-Batson D. (2018). The Effects of the “Speak With Intent” Instruction for Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease. Journal of Communication Disorders and Assistive Technology, 1: 1-15.

This is an initial assessment report I completed at Westland House for a patient with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This experience was beneficial to my learning of voice disorders and training my ear to the presentation of vocal fold paralysis. I administered the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) (Kempster et al., 2009) and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) (Jacobson et al., 1997). This individual was found to have a moderate-severe voice disorder primarily characterized by roughness, breathiness, and strain. The patient's self-rating suggests that her voice disorder severely impacts the functional, physical, and emotional aspects of her life. This was my first time administering a voice assessment and this patient was pertinent to my learning about the impact of voice disorders on quality of life. 

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Schneider, S. L. (2012). Behavioral Management of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis and Paresis. Perspectives on Voice and Voice Disorders, 22(3), 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1044/vvd22.3.112

This is a presentation I created in collaboration with Patricia Serrano, Lexi Milan, Becky Olson, Kelsey Lowe, and Kelsi Branson for my Voice Disorders course. This project facilitated my learning of laryngeal web classification, assessment, treatment and how this condition pertains to voice disorders. 

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Avelino, M. a. G., Pazinatto, D., Rodrigues, S. O., & Maunsell, R. (2022). Congenital laryngeal webs: from diagnosis to surgical outcomes. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 88(4), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjorl.2020.06.018

Chrysovitsiotis, G., Potamianos, S., Katsinis, S., & Kyrodimos, E. (2021). Idiopathic posterior laryngeal web on an adult patient. BMJ Case Reports, 14(5), e242561-. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-242561

De Trey, L. A., Lambercy, K., Monnier, P., & Sandu, K. (2016). Management of Severe Congenital Laryngeal Webs – a 12 year review . International Journal of Pediatric

Lawlor, C. M., Dombrowski, N. D., Nuss, R. C., Rahbar, R., & Choi, S. S. (2019). Laryngeal web in the Pediatric Population: Evaluation and management. Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 162(2), 234–240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599819893985

Pedersen, M., Beranova, A., & Moller, S. (2004). Dysphonia: Medical Treatment and a Medical Voice Hygiene Advice Approach—A Prospective Randomized Pilot Study. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 261(6), 312–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-003-0641-8