Happy Presidents Day
Our speech department is working today (Monday, February 20th) in our Kirkland and Redmond locations. All speech sessions are still scheduled.
The audiology department has closed in celebration of the holiday. We will be back at 8am tomorrow morning.
Enjoy the holiday!
Adele Triumphs Vocal Cord Surgery
British singer-songwriter, Adele had a big night last Sunday at the Grammy Awards show. The sultry singer is known for her heartfelt lyrics and powerhouse voice, and she took home six Grammy’s including best song, record and album of the year.
Adele’s biggest feat of the night was perhaps her performance of her hit “Rolling in the Deep,” which was her first performance since having vocal cord surgery. Last November the singer had to cancel several tour dates due to having the surgery to remove a polyp from her vocal cord. According to an article posted by CBS News, polyps occur on vocal cords due to abuse of the voice and often resemble blister-like lesions or bumps on the vocal cord. Side affects from polyps include a rough or scratchy voice, a feeling of a lump in the throat, neck pain, vocal fatigue and a decrease in pitch range. Adele’s surgery was minimally invasive, however the recovery period was quite extensive. Dr. Steven Zeitels from the Center for Laryngeal Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, who performed Adele’s surgery ordered her to refrain from using her voice for two months after the procedure. The singer also had to give up her smoking habit following the surgery because smoking can cause severe swelling of the vocal cords due to the heat of the smoke.
Adele’s performance last Sunday showed the world that she has recovered well from surgery, but thankfully surgery isn’t the only option for someone with polyps on their vocal cords. Many times, voice therapy is used for people who have less severe polyps. According to ASHA voice therapy includes teaching good vocal hygiene and reducing abusive vocal behaviors. Stress reduction techniques and relaxation exercises are often taught as well, which helps produce a more effective voice for communicating.
At our clinic our therapists use a holistic approach to voice therapy, and are trained in specialized programs such as Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Training and Vocal Function Exercises. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your voice and whether or not voice therapy is a good option for you or a loved one, please contact one of our three offices.
Love in Communication on Valentine’s Day
The Hear the World Initiative by Phonak blogged yesterday about a new study they conducted looking at the prejudices of hearing aids on getting to know someone new while dating.
Research has shown that 1 in 3 Americans with hearing loss – who have not yet opted for hearing instruments – choose to hold off due to the perceived difficulty of getting to know someone new, and the image that hearing instruments might give off, however results show that people with hearing instruments do not have any greater difficulties than those with normal hearing meeting new people and sustaining meaningful relationships.
The research went straight to the source, talking to the partners in the relationship. Their opinion was clear: 41% of those respondents whose partner or spouse is affected by hearing loss, but does not yet wear a hearing aid would be glad if their partner would get one. Just under one in five even believe that getting a hearing aid would improve their relationship. And for those whose partner or spouse has already opted for a hearing aid the data was even more clear! 81% of the respondents confirmed, “I am glad that my partner wears a hearing aid.” 40% report that they received more attention from their partner since he or she has had a hearing aid. And 38% think that they now have a better relationship.
So this Valentine’s day do something extra special for your loved one and consider creating clearer communication with hearing instruments!
Testosterone and Risk of Language Delay
In a recent MSNBC article they discussed a new study that found infant boys exposed to high levels of the male hormone testosterone before birth with double the risk for language delay as females.
The study appears Jan. 26 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The Australian researchers noted that male fetuses have 10 times the levels of testosterone than females, which could explain the greater likelihood of language delays. The study examined 767 newborns to measure how much testosterone the infants were exposed to during critical phases of brain development. The children’s language abilities were then assessed at 1, 2, and 3 years old.
The researchers found that male infants with high testosterone levels were two to three times more likely to have a language delay than females. In contrast, girls exposed to high testosterone levels had a lower risk for the developmental problem.
While the study found an association between testosterone levels and language delays, it did not prove a cause and effect.
Seattle Deaf Film Festival
For the first time in the Northwest, audiences can expect to see films created by, for, or about the deaf community, in generes ranging from documentary to drama to comedy to animation, in the Seattle Deaf Film Festival. The event will be held at the University of Washington, March 30 through April 1. The festival is presented by Deaf Spotlight, a non-profit that focuses on the culture and creativity of the deaf community and is sponsored by the UW’s ASL (American Sign Language) and Deaf Studies Program.
Feature films and shorts have been submitted from the U.S., England, France, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, South Africa, and Mexico. All films will have subtitles, including subtitled translations when the actors sign rather than speak.
The Seattle Deaf Film Festival will be held in 120 Kane Hall. A schedule of films and ticket prices will be posted on Deaf Spotlight’s website in early February, at www.deafspotlight .com.
A Big Snow Day Thanks
We want to send out a BIG thank you to our staff, clinicians and doctors for making the trek to the office over the past two days through the slush and snow. Our speech team will be in the office again tomorrow morning. Should you need to cancel or reschedule, please let us know. Have a wonderful weekend!
Lip Reading
In a recent MSNBC article they revealed a new study indicating that babies learn to speak, not just by listening to their parents and caregivers but by watching them. Our little angels are shown to be pretty good lip readers by researchers from Florida Atlatntic University. The group of infants, ranging from four to 12 months of age, watched videos of women speaking either in English, the native language used at home, or in Spanish, a language foreign to them. The researchers used eye tracking devices to study the eye movements and looked at developmental changes in attention to the eyes and mouth.
Results showed that at four months of age, babies focused almost solely on the women’s eyes. But by six to eight months of age, when the infants entered the so-called “babbling” stage of language acquisition and reached a milestone of cognitive development in which they can direct their attention to things they find interesting, their focus shifted to the women’s mouths. They continue to “lip read” until about 10 months of age, a point when they finally begin mastering the basic features of their native language. At this point, infants also begin to shift their attention back to the eyes. The data suggests that infants who continue to focus most of their attention on the mouth pst 1 months of age are probably not developing at age-appropriate perceptual and cognitive skills and may be at risk for disorders such as autism.
Although more research is needed, this finding could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention for autism spectrum disorders, estimated, on average, to affect 1 in 110 children in the United States alone. Currently diagnosis with behavioral testing begins around 18 months of age. Earlier treatment can ensure the best possible developmental outcomes for children with autism.
We’re Open
After a late start today, our offices are open. Should you be unable to make it into the office, please call (Bellevue – 425.454.1883, Kirkland – 425.899.5050, Redmond – 425.882.4347) or email, and we will reschedule you for a later date.
Before leaving your house, please check road conditions and travel safe!
Snow Closure
The Pacific Northwest Snowmageddon has delivered. With a few inches already on the ground and more to come throughout the day, our three offices have been closed for the safety of our staff and patients. If you do have to be out on the roads today, please drive carefully and be prepared. We wish everyone a safe and warm snow day. We will post announcements on the status of our office as soon as we know them for Thursday.
Pinterest for SLPs
Speech language pathologists across the country have recently started taking advantage of the new social media site Pinterest. It was started in 2010 and works as a virtual “pinboard” that lets you organize and share all of the wonderful things you find on the internet. You can browse other people’s pinboards to find new and interesting ideas with people that share your similar interests.
Speech therapists can “follow” one another’s pinboards to share innovative ideas for therapy sessions including apps for ipads, and detailed guides for fun do-it-yourself crafts and activities. Some ideas that we have stumbled upon that are great ideas for our patients include plastic Easter eggs that are used to help kids understand compound words as well as a revamped version of Candy Land that is all about learning nouns, verbs and adjectives.
No matter what your hobbies and interests include, the possibilities are endless on what you can find on Pinterest, and it has turned out to be a great resource for speech therapists as well.