Posted by: acewood ®
01/27/2007, 14:06:51
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One of the things I used to dread was answering the phone because I couldn't get the word "hello" to come out of my mouth. It was also a chore to just say "hi" as I passed by someone in the hallway at work. I knew it was the "H" sound that was causing the problem so I modified the words. Instead of saying "hello", I would say "yellow" and instead of saying "hi", I would say "eye". If you say them quickly people don't seem to notice.It's not much, but when my voice was real bad every little bit helped. Dave
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Posted by: Mary Bifaro ®
01/27/2007, 19:23:15
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Dear Karen,When I have to conduct a lengthy telephone conversation, I usually let the person I am talking with know that I have a voice problem. I tell them that I won't mind repeating if they don't understand me. I ask them to repeat what I said if I want to make sure that they heard me correctly. Years ago, someone told me to try pressing a finger on my neck when I am speaking. Sometimes, that helps. Thanks for all of the work that you are doing on the SD book, Karen. It will be a wonderful awareness tool for our NSDA community. Sincerely, Mary Bifaro
Abductor SD since 1987
Charlotte, NC
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Posted by: snowie ®
01/28/2007, 17:10:27
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Hi Karen,I don't have any tricks up my sleeve for AB SD, but there are some things that I do which have made life easier for me ... ..some of these are quite amusing when I think back on them : 1. I ride a motor-bike to work, and when my voice was really bad, I used to practice saying words that I found particularly difficult whilst on the way to work riding along the road 'out-loud',as no one could hear me as I was riding along!. ... For example I work in a hospital and found it really difficult to say words beginning with 'H', being a difficult one for Aber's, along with K, and my manager's name at the time began with K, so I would practice saying 'hospital' and 'katie' as I chugged along the road. 2 Part of my job entails having to be 'the on-duty social worker' and we are supposed to say 'hello, duty social worker, at such a such hospital, can I help you'. I couldn't say this, so I shortened it to some thing I could say, ie : 'Good
morning/afernoon, duty desk, Debbie speaking' (It helps that I can at least say my name). 3 When I have to meet groups of new people, like Mary on the telephone, I simply say I have a problem with my voice, so if you can't hear me, just ask me to say it again. This always puts people at ease straight away. Some times they ask what's
wrong, so I tell them, other times they don't. Mostly people are very understanding, even if they haven't got a clue what dystonia is. (They often think it's a Country). I use to tell people that SD was a neurological disorder, but I found they would look at me strangely, and didn't know quite what to make of me, or how to respond, so I concluded that perhaps this was too much information, and just simply say (if they seem interested) that it's a problem with the muscles of the vocal cords. People seem to to understand and accept this. 4 I must confess that there are times on the telephone when people say, 'you sound terrible, have you got a cold, or are you ill ? ... If I am never going to speak to them again, depending how I feel, I some times just say 'yes! ... but I'll
be alright!'. 5 I seem to have unconsciously developed a way of speaking slowly to try to make my words clearer. This does seem to work.
But for some unexplained reason I have a nasal resonance to my voice, and some times people think I'm deaf and have at times used sign language on me, or talked slowly and loudly at me. This used to upset me, but now I simply say, 'it's alright I'm not deaf, I can hear you, I just have a problem with my voice' which surprises them!. 6 A wise friend told me to stop and breathe deeply when stressed, to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. I try to do this when I know I'm going into a situation where I have to make myself heard. And it does seem to help. These are simple things but they have really helped me. Hope these are helpful,
Best wishes, Snowie (Debbie)
AB SD, London, UK
Modified by snowie at Sun, Jan 28, 2007, 17:20:30
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Posted by: Keith ®
01/28/2007, 21:05:02
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Hi:
Well, yeah..I can give you lots of ideas that I learned from 2 excellent SLP's a few years back. These are the things that allowed me to continue teaching, prior to meeting and working with an excellent ENT to continue botox treatments:1) It is essential to not push so much on (or pop) the unvoiced consonants, as this will tend to prolong the spasmodic break between consonant and vowel. I, of course, am referring to consonants like p, t, k, f. If anything soften them up so that, to some degree, the p become more of a b sound. And, the t becomes more of a d, and the k becomes like a g, and the f becomes like a v. THEN, try to place the sound somewhere in the middle betwee the 2 letters I suggested for each example. This really helped me. Even when you are substituting the second letter (which is a voiced consonant) for the first,..the listener will perceive the word correctly since the brain translates it as the correct sound and, therefore, word that belongs in the sentence. 2) Reduce the tongue tension in the mouth. Think of keeping the tongue very forward in the mouth, and resting right behind the upper teeth. Form consonants in the front of the mouth, rather than in the back. Think of the words as flowing up and over the back of the tongue...don't let them get trapped in the back of the mouth. 3) Remember to open the mouth more during speech -use the lips to help enunciate the sounds. All this helps to take the energy and focus away from the larynx. 4) Keep the jaw relaxed - it's a great idea to massage the masseter (spelling?) muscle since this will help keep the speech more relaxed and less forced. The masseter is the muscle that is connected to the bone that the larynx hangs on, so there is a definite connection between the degree of tension in this muscle and the quality of the voicing achieved. 5) Stay relaxed and loose - tension anywhere in the body wlll eventually manifest itself at the level of the larynx, thereby affecting the voice. Neck rolls, etc. and all sorts of exercises help with this. 6) Think of keeping the back of the head up and chin down, so as to avoid the pulled up larynx position. If the throat area is stretched tight, such as when the head is tilted up, this will also reflect negatively in the sound. 7) Try to raise the soft palate to help form the consonants that cause difficulty. 8) Think of keeping the pharynx very relaxed and open....think of it as a wide open tube. Tension is detrimental to speech - any feeling of constriction in the throat is bound to cause more speech problems. 9) Breath support - crucial!! Breathe diaphragmatically, not from the shoulders and upper chest area. Support the tone with the breath (like in proper singing and wind instrument playing). Let the voice 'ride on the air' and the energy that the lungs provide. There are many exercises around to help with proper breathing. 10) Place the voice in the mask area of the face - using the sinus cavities to enhance the tone - think of it as being very forward and buzzy and resonant - not pushed down into the throat. Feel the buzz in the nose while speaking. 11) Posture!! - think of standing tall, but NOT rigid - proper head alignment is very important as well - keep the head centered over the body - not jutted forward, which makes the neck support the head (rather than the rest of the body), and thus also makes the vocal apparatus work even harder. Remember that the voice comes from the core...don't let anything interfere with the voice being produced from deep within the body. 12) Slow down the pacing - take a breath and use it - -never hold it in - replenishment of the breath is soooo important. NEVER talk on residual air. 13) Don't think so much about your voice and how the words are coming out - it'll only make things worse - sometimes the more we think about our voice, the worse it gets. Relax and don't keep a running tally of how many words are tough to say, etc. It'll only slow you down. Stay in the moment and remain calm. The trick is NOT to respond mentally and physically to difficult voicing situations. I was taught to think of the voice in gestalt terms, not focusing on that one work or phrase that may have caused problems. If a word gives trouble, forget about it and move on. That should do it.....these things have been immeasurably helpful to me. Undoubtedly some of the concepts seem a bit obscure without the supporting exercises that I learned along with them. There is so much more than this, but that gives a precis of what I learned in therapy. I still rely on most of these things as my botox benefit period begins to wear off and things become tough again. Hope this helps. Regards,
Keith
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Posted by: Mary Bifaro ®
01/29/2007, 11:10:42
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Dear Keith,Your message was enormously helpful. It has been years since I had voice therapy. This is full of useful tips. With your permission, I'd like to share them with members of the local SD support group that I lead and others within the NSDA community. Thank you for sharing. The NSDA remains strong because of its fantastic members who continue to reach out to one another in information and support. Sincerely,
Mary Bifaro
Abductor SD since 1987
Charlotte, NC
Modified by Mary Bifaro at Mon, Jan 29, 2007, 12:05:10
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Posted by: Keith ®
01/29/2007, 17:06:21
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Hi Mary:
Glad the info was useful. The two ladies I worked with were just wonderful. Unfortunately, they both left the ENT practice I had been going to. Shortly after, following a few bad botox experiences, I left the office as well.
Anyway, you are welcome to use the suggestions I posted. Thanks,
Keith
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Posted by: mary salisbury ®
01/29/2007, 16:42:30
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Keith... I read through your list of tips for AB and had to smile because what your voice therapists have taught you is EXACTLY what my therapists have done with me. And all those things help! Especially #9 & 10. My voice is not 100% but it has definitely improved. If I can just get to the point where #9 & 10 are habitual I may be able to never need Botox again...although I don't think I'll be able to teach again. The voice demands of the classroom are just too much. But for me voice therapy has been a godsend. I know it tends to help AB people more than AD. I am mixed AB/AD but primarily AB, so that's probably why learning these techniques has helped me. A year and a half ago I could barely speak at all. Regards to you too, and to all who struggle with this frustrating disorder. Hang in there. There is hope. Mary
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Posted by: Paula B ®
01/30/2007, 17:05:31
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Hi Keith,Thanks for all the great tips. I'm sure most of them are for AB SD, but I just wanted to mention to you that #6 made me laugh. Being only 5'0" tall, I have to look up to a lot of people. I don't think looking down would make a difference. :) Maybe that would help more on the phone. :) Take Care, Paula
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Posted by: mariaa ®
01/31/2007, 19:09:25
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I have so many tips and tricks. I take Benedryl to help the spasms. I have pinched my nose whille talking ( on the phone lol! ) I have talked in a higher pitch. I have practiced voice exercises.......Plosive P's put your lips together like you are saying P sound but voiceless and push the vocal cords together as you make that P sound, and than let it out.
The point is to bring the cords together, get more vibration and loosen the muscle.
Also, practice G sound using voice and pushing the G sound.another trick if your out at a function. A glass or two of wine works wonders. I probably have more, Ill let you know. lol!
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Posted by: wilma p myers ®
02/02/2007, 22:18:13
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To all,What wonderful tips and feedback.
This will help so many.
We all can use these tips, whether we have AD or AB.
Keep them coming! Wilma P Myers SD since 1989
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Posted by: Will Blum ®
02/03/2007, 15:02:30
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Here are a few tips that I learned at the Scottsdale Symposium to help people with Spasmodic Dysphonia talk on the telephone1. When talking on telephone, use a cordless telephone and walk around. You will not be as
stressed. 2. Control your breathing and picture the person you are talking to on the
other end of the line
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