How effective are treatments for spasmodic dysphonia?
Speech-language pathology services alone are most helpful when symptoms are mild. Techniques such as relaxation, breath control, maintaining a steady flow of air from the lungs during voice production, and pitch and loudness modifications can help improve the person's voice.
Recent studies have shown that cutting of the recurrent laryngeal nerve to paralyze one vocal cord appeared to reduce the force of vocal cord closure. There was a return of voice symptoms within 6 months to 3 years of surgery in almost two thirds of these patients. Many patients were worse than before. Speech-language pathology treatment was often recommended after surgery.
ASHA has written a treatment efficacy summary on voice disorders [PDF] that describes evidence about how well treatment works. This summary is useful not only to individuals with voice disorders and their caregivers but also to insurance companies considering payment for much needed services for voice disorders.
What do SLPs do when working with individuals with spasmodic dysphonia?
The Preferred Practice Patterns for the Profession of Speech-Language Pathology outline the common practices followed by SLPs when engaging in various aspects of the profession. The Preferred Practice Patterns for voice assessment and intervention are outlined in sections 34 and 35.
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See also:
Spasmodic Dysphonia
Spasmodic Dysphonia: Causes and Number
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