Speech Pathology Blog

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Adult Speech Therapy

Adult speech therapy, speech therapy for adults, Information about speech, speech pathology for adults, speech language, speech therapy, speech pathologist, voice

Exercises for Pneumonia Prevention

May 16, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

Aspiration Pneumonia occurs when food and fluids pass down the wrong way into the lungs and this material causes infection in the lungs. A number of aetiologies such as motor neurone disease, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease predispose a person to dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia. Certain exercises and manoeuvres can be used to assist swallowing and prevent Dysphagia. A speech pathologist will assess the cause and type of Dysphagia. This may … [Read more...]

ANZACs and Australian Slang

May 9, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

Much of our Australian slang stems from the ANZAC soldiers who went off to fight during World War 1, World War 2 and the Vietnam War. These soldiers developed their own unique slang, much of which has survived for 90 years up to this day. A number of these slang words originated particularly from the time the ANZAC soldiers trained in Egypt before heading off to Gallipoli. The term ANZAC, which stands for Australian New Zealand Army Corps was … [Read more...]

What is Sign Language and is there just one type?

April 28, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

Sign Language is an umbrella term, which refers to systems of Language that use gestures and signs made using parts of the body such as hands, to communicate a message. Sign language is most commonly known for its use amongst the deaf population. There are however, some types of sign language used frequently by other populations. For example, the Key Word Sign or MAKATON system is often used with people who have language difficulties such as … [Read more...]

World Oral Health Day – Preventing Aspiration Pneumonia Through Oral Health Care

March 21, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is celebrated every year on 20 March. It is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of oral hygiene. Because 90% of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime and many of them can be avoided with prevention, detection and treatment programs. Oral health is a key factor in … [Read more...]

Types of Augmentative and Alternative Communication

March 14, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication? Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is any type of communication strategy used by individuals with a range of conditions causing them to have significant difficulties with verbal speech. Some individuals even require a range of AAC methods to communicate and others may use AAC in conjunction with verbal speech to achieve efficient communication. One AAC system may not meet all of … [Read more...]

How accents change speech

March 11, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

Many of the patients seen by Speech Pathologists are provided with what is known as accent modification or accent reduction therapy. Everyone has a different accent depending on where they first learned to speak their mother tongue. Each language has its own specific sounds and these may differ from English in a number of ways. The biggest difference between accents, especially between different English accents is the vowels that are produced … [Read more...]

General Dysphagia Management

February 22, 2016 By Ashleigh Fattah

Swallowing is complex, and a number of issues can interfere with this process. Dysphagia is defined as difficulty or discomfort with eating and drinking. Dysphagia becomes increasingly common with age as a number of neurological disorders and conditions can cause a person to suffer from it. Common causes for dysphagia generally falls into one of the following categories, oropharyngeal or oesophageal. Oropharyngeal causes are often due to … [Read more...]

Cause of resilience to tinnitus and potential drug therapy identified

January 14, 2016 By @entwellbeing

A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanisms behind resilience to noise-induced tinnitus in an animal model which has brought to light a possible drug therapy that may reduce people’s susceptibility to tinnitus. “Tinnitus is typically induced by exposure to loud noise and causes whistling, clicking, roaring and other phantom sounds. It is estimated that 5 to 15 percent of … [Read more...]

How to protect your voice and hearing over the holidays

December 23, 2015 By Ashleigh Fattah

Christmas is a noisy time of year, especially if you have kids on holidays and family over during the festive season. With everything happening, it is common to be overwhelmed by all the noise and forget to protect our ears from it all. Excessive noise can be damaging to the ears, so here are a few great ways we can reduce the impact of all the holiday noise. 1. Choose the right Christmas toys Choose toys that have a ‘try me’ option to test and … [Read more...]

The five components of Speech for Lung Awareness Month

November 23, 2015 By Ashleigh Fattah

With November being Lung awareness month, I have decided to cover the five components that are essential for normal speech. As you most likely know, our lungs play an important role in making speech happen. Respiration is the first key component to normal speech, and here is why: Respiration: The first and most important component of speech is respiration, as without air passing through the speech organs no sound is produced. Respiration … [Read more...]