Measuring Voice, Speech, and Swallowing in the Clinic and Laboratory

Book excerpt: Measuring Voice, Speech, and Swallowing in the Clinic and Laboratory provides a definitive reference and text for methods of measurement of voice, speech, and swallowing functioning and disorders. It was developed for measurement courses in speech-language pathology graduate and doctoral programs and is also an essential reference for practitioners or anyone who needs to make quantitative assessments of the systems involved. The goal of this text is to provide basic information on the instruments and measures commonly used for assessing and treating persons with disorders of voice, speech, and swallowing for clinical practice, research studies, and conducting clinical trials. New developments in electrical and magnetic stimulation for noninvasive stimulation of nerves, muscles, and the brain are provided for augmenting treatment benefits for persons with voice, speech, and swallowing disorders. Other new techniques included are electromyography, articulography, transcranial magnetic stimulation, functional MRI, fNIRS, DTI, and transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment applications. The text includes methods for recording and analyzing speech, acoustics, imaging and kinematics of vocal tract motion, air pressure, airflow, respiration, clinical evaluation of voice and swallowing disorders, and functional and structural neuroimaging. Many of the methods are applicable for use in clinical practice and clinical research. Key Features: More than 250 full-color imagesSummary tables to guide selection of instruments and measures for various applicationsEach chapter begins and ends with an overview and conclusion for review of contentAppendices of measurement standards Clinical investigators and clinicians wanting to measure voice, speech, and swallowing functions for clinical documentation will benefit from this book, as will students and professors. Measuring Voice, Speech, and Swallowing in the Clinic and Laboratorypulls together the necessary information on methods of measurement from different disciplines and sources into one convenient resource. Information on measurement in the fields of voice, speech, and swallowing is now readily available for training doctoral students and guidance of clinicians incorporating instrumental assessment into their practice.