A Physiologic Approach to Voice Therapy

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are presented with multiple types of voice disorders to evaluate and treat. These disorders arise from a variety of etiologies and numerous patient vocal compensations. Given the variety of potential treatment options, how does the SLP choose the most effective treatment? Speech-language pathology literature identifies several general voice therapy orientations, vocal hygiene, symptomatic voice therapy, psychogenic voice therapy and physiologic voice therapy. This course will introduce the participant to these orientations as well as the evidence supporting their use. Choosing the appropriate evidence-based therapy approach is essential to successful voice therapy.

Meet Your Instructor

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  Joseph C. Stemple, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHAF

  Joseph Stemple is a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky. He joined the faculty in the UK Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2005, following a 30-year clinical career as founder and director of the Blaine Block Institute for Voice Analysis and Rehabilitation, Dayton, OH, and the Professional Voice Center of Greater Cincinnati. He is the author of the texts Voice Therapy: Clinical Case Studies (4th ed.) and Clinical Voice Pathology: Theory and Management (5th ed.) (Plural Publishing, Inc.), as well as research articles and text chapters related to clinical voice disorders. His current research involves a translational study of various aspects of the aging voice including epidemiology, treatment outcomes, and the biology and morphology of aging laryngeal muscles. An active national and international speaker, he is a Fellow and Honors recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

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Chapters & Learning Objectives

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   1. Introduction of Voice Therapy Orientations

   Speech-language pathology literature identifies several general voice therapy orientations, vocal hygiene, symptomatic voice therapy, psychogenic voice therapy and physiologic voice therapy. This chapter will introduce the participant to these orientations as well as the evidence supporting their use. Choosing the appropriate evidence-based therapy approach is essential to successful voice therapy.

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   2. Voice Therapy Orientations: A Case Study

   The concepts behind physiologic voice therapy will be introduced. With the aid of brief case histories and video examples of three pathological vocal conditions (nodules, unilateral paralysis, presbylaryngeus), participants will learn that a physiologic approach to voice therapy applies to a wide range of pathologies and patient compensations for those pathologies. Whether the voice problem is one of hyperfunction or hypofunction, the physiologic approach will balance the three subsystems of voice production to improve overall vocal function.

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   3. Physiologic Voice Therapy: Case Examples

   A case study will be discussed to demonstrate vocal function exercises in detail, including the four main exercises as well as goals and rationale. The importance of therapy documentation and post-therapy details will also be discussed

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   4. Theoretical Underpinnings of Physiologic Voice Therapy

   This chapter will introduce the genesis of the physiologic approach to voice therapy including its development and the theory upon which it is based, including the understanding that SLPs do not treat the pathology, but rather the underlying physiology that causes the pathology.

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