Prevention Activities for Speech-Language Pathologists

Examples for Different Groups

Teachers

• Collaborate with classroom teachers to identify children at risk for voice problems
• Provide classes for teachers to educate them about typical vocal function and disorders
• Provide lectures and discussions on healthy vocal usage in life choices and biology classes in middle and high schools
• Expand school prevention programs to child care providers

Administrators

• Inform school administrators about prevention efforts and activities

Parents

• Inform parents of the their role in prevention and identification

Clients

• Refer clients who smoke to cessation programs as part of their treatment for voice disorders
• Refer clients with alcohol problems to alcohol treatment centers
• Inform clients how to eliminate vocally damaging behaviors and how to avoid or limit use of the voice in unhealthy situations
• Encourage clients to develop new ways to deal with daily tension and environmental stress
• Encourage clients to avoid use of nonmedicinal drugs and prescription drugs (that are no longer needed)
• Refer individuals with early warning signs of laryngeal cancer to an otolaryngologist 

General Public

• Develop and distribute information on the vocal symptoms that are early warning signs of laryngeal cancers and on the importance of medication assessment when symptoms appear