Having trouble being heard? See a speech pathologist

25 May 2011

Have you ever lost your voice? Even though it’s usually temporary, it can be very frustrating. Being able to speak with a clear, strong voice is something most of us take for granted.

Hunter New England health says help is available to children and adults with voice difficulties through their local speech pathologist.

More than 60 speech pathologists from across Hunter New England Health will participate in a workshop to further develop their skills in the assessment and treatment of voice disorders in adults and children on 26 and 27 May 2011.

Speech Pathologist Alexandra Little said the workshop will help specialists in the field deliver better services to the community.

“This year, we chose ‘voice’ as our topic because it is something we all need to be able to assess and treat, whether we work with children or adults,” Ms Little said.

“Voice disorders can be related to a change in pitch, loudness, vocal quality and nasality and can occur at any age.”

“It is estimated that in any one year, up to four per cent of the adult population will suffer from a voice problem,” she said.

“Voice difficulties can occur by themselves, for example, in children who have bad vocal habits such as frequent shouting, but they are also quite commonly associated with chronic health conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease.”

The two-day workshop is an opportunity for clinicians to network with each other as well as to learn about the latest tools and techniques used in the assessment and management of voice disorders.

World-renowned expert in voice, Dr Alison Winkworth will be presenting the workshop in Tamworth and both days will be beamed live to Newcastle via videoconference so that clinicians in the Hunter can attend as well.

“The treatment of voice disorders has often been considered a speciality area, but thanks to this training, all of our staff will be able to provide quality, evidence-based assessment and management of voice disorders to people in their local community,” Ms Little said.

Contact: Emma Gibbs

Phone: 6767 7137