In the spirit of Dystonia Awareness Month I thought I would share this story… This year I worked with Tom*. Tom lives in another state, Tom has a rare form of Parkinson’s disease, Tom has laryngeal dystonia or spasmodic dysphonia (spasm of muscles that impacts the voice and swallowing) and...
Agh! Tongue-Tie?! Tongue and lip-tie is a condition present at birth where a short, tight band of tissue (frenulum) tethers the tongue tip to the floor of the mouth or the lip to the gums. I would really love to share my first-hand experience of having a baby with tongue-tie...
“My Child is STILL not talking” As a mother and a Speech Pathologist, I can completely understand the dread that parents feel at the notion that something is “wrong” with their child’s development. You can imagine my mortification when, at a Child Health Nurse appointment, it was indicated that my...
“So… what does a Speech Pathologist do?” This is a question I am commonly asked when I introduce my occupation to people. I also get asked, “Are you a Speech Pathologist or Speech Therapist?” The answer is – Both! They mean the same thing. In Australia the technical term is...
Imagine a world in which even the simplest communication with those around you was a massive effort. Imagine the frustration of knowing exactly what you want to say but not finding the words to express it or not being able to form the right sounds to make these words. Imagine...
Like breathing, swallowing is a reflex and essential to everyday life. Humans swallow at least 900 times a day: around three times an hour during sleep, once per minute while awake and even more often during meals. We swallow food, liquids, medicine and saliva. People who have trouble swallowing are...
Due to increased life expectancy and low fertility rates, Australia is getting older. By 2050, there will be 36 million Australians and 1.8 million will be aged 85 and over. Along with this growth, the number of older Australians experiencing communication and swallowing problems will rise. As people age their...
Every 10 minutes, an Australian suffers a stroke – that’s more than 60,000 strokes each year. In the next 10 years, it is estimated that more than half a million people will suffer a stroke, making it the leading cause of disability in Australia. 60% of people who have had...
What is AAC?Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is any type of communication strategy for people with a range of conditions who have significant difficulties speaking. There are two main types of AAC – aided AAC and unaided AAC.Aided AAC is any external item used to aid communication (e.g. object symbols, communication boards, books, key-ring mini-cards, wallets, speech generating...
Stuttering is a speech disorder that causes interruptions in the rhythm or flow of speech. These interruptions may include repeated sounds (c-c-can), syllables (da-da-daddy), words (and-and-and) or phrases (I want-I want-I want). Repetitions might happen once (b-ball, can-can) or multiple times (I-I-I-I-I want, m-m-m-m-m-m-mummy). Stuttering may also include prolongations, where...
