ETSU’s Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic is reaching out to the region with a new service that can help those who are struggling with changes in their voice that can lead to difficulties in communicating.And while the ETSU Voice Clinic gets moving, therapists with one of the facility’s existing services – the Fluency Clinic – are hoping that the increased public awareness of stuttering from an Oscar-nominated movie will lead more people to seek help for the disorder.

The Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic is a service of the ETSU Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, which is housed in the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.

Chaya D. Nanjundeswaran, an assistant professor and speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice disorders and treatment, said a wide range of people can now find answers related to problems with their voice and also receive treatment. Voice disorder is an impairment of the speaking or singing voice that is unacceptable to the user in social, professional, or other contexts.

The Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic began seeing voice patients this semester, and all who come to the clinic will receive both diagnostic and treatment services from speech-language pathologists at the voice clinic.

At any given time, about 3 to 9 percent of the population has a voice problem. Of this, the major occupations that pose a risk include teaching and singing.

Through the proper education of voice mechanisms and its impact on communication, voice problems can not only be treated, but steps can also be taken to prevent and minimize the occurrence of voice problems.

Nanjundeswaran said some issues that can be alleviated through therapy sessions include problems of hoarseness or a rough voice, chronic throat clearing or coughing, breaks in voice, limitations in pitch or volume, pain while speaking, effort or strain to produce voice, and bouts of breathlessness that interrupt speech.

“We would like to spread the word to people who have voice issues to let them know that help is available,” Nanjundeswaran said.

The ETSU Fluency Clinic

A retreat from situations involving conversation – or any speaking at all – is a frequent issue that Dr. Vijay Guntupalli and other ETSU speech-language pathologists see with patients who come to the Fluency Clinic. The most pervasive fluency disorder, Guntupalli said, is stuttering, or the repetition of sounds, syllables or words to the extent it interrupts speech or stops it altogether.

“We work with all age groups from 3 years old up through adults who have lived with stuttering for years,” said Guntupalli, who is an assistant professor of speech-language pathology.

“It’s really about age 3 where you see stuttering develop, because that’s when a child generally begins forming complex language. Early intervention is crucial, because of the social stigmas that can be involved. The stigma of stuttering can lead to bullying and teasing in school, and if on top of that you add in a speech problem and their own awareness of the stuttering as they grow older, it can be very difficult for a child. That’s the reason it’s so important for parents who have questions to become educated, get their children evaluated and seek therapy if it’s needed.”

Guntupalli lauds the benefits of early intervention, but speech-language pathologists at the Fluency Clinic see adults as well. Diagnosis and treatment are available for all, regardless of age and scope of the problem, Guntupalli said.

“We even see some adults who have had therapy in the past, but perhaps didn’t make the progress they were hoping for and quit because they became discouraged,” Guntupalli said. “We can work with them.”

The issue of stuttering has come to the forefront with the success of “The King’s Speech.” In it, Oscar-nominated Colin Firth plays King George VI, who overcomes stuttering with the help of a speech-language therapist.

“It’s great to see the movie is bringing the condition out into the open, because those who suffer from stuttering often don’t want to talk about it or keep it hidden,” Guntupalli said.

“This might convince some to seek help where they might have otherwise remained silent and learned to live with the problem. It’s important for them to know that help is available.”

For more information about the ETSU Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, call (423) 439-4355.

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