A 38-year-old music salesman presented to the clinic with pa…

A 38-year-old music salesman presented to the clinic with pain in the the laryngeal area following a bout of bronchitis and extensive coughing and throat clearing. He reported occasionally coughing up small amounts of blood. He said he lifts weights but reported the healthy strategy of exhaling while flexing. He does not smoke and he reports minimal water intake. Vocal quality was normal in pitch and quality. He coughed and throat-cleared throughout the assessment. The salesman was overheard chastising an employee on his cell phone using hard glottal attack. He said he was recently prescribed anti-reflux medication by his physician. The patient’s F0 for a sustained /a/ revealed 161Hz with a RAP of .236% and shimmer of 1.56%. Transglottal airflow was 138ml/s.

During the interview, the SLP models a number of behaviors a…

During the interview, the SLP models a number of behaviors and asks Aisha to replicate them. After a few minutes, Aisha senses a relaxation of the throat and neck muscles and feels and hears a better and more easily produced voice. These diagnostic probes introduced by the SLP are:

Aisha is a student teacher who has just begun her fall semes…

Aisha is a student teacher who has just begun her fall semester’s teaching practicum at a local elementary school. Aisha finds herself spending 10 hours a day or more teaching, staffing with colleagues, meeting with parents and then transitioning to night classes, where she is required to participate in small groups. After a month, Aisha notices that her voice is becoming progressively hoarse and that she feels a sense of fullness and tightness at the level of the larynx.  She also reports vocal fatigue, especially at the end of the day. At her medical appointment, she reports to the otolaryngologist that she has no history of allergies and she does not feel flu-like symptoms; just the tightness and fullness.