Speech Therapy Program Research Articles

Incomes to Outcomes: A Global Assessment of Disparities in Cleft and Craniofacial Treatment.

Recent investigations focused on health equity have enumerated widespread disparities in cleft and craniofacial care. This review introduces a structured framework to aggregate findings and direct future research. Systematic review was performed to identify studies assessing health disparities based on race/ethnicity, payor type, income, geography, and education in cleft and craniofacial surgery in high-income countries (HICs) and low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Case reports and systematic reviews were excluded. Meta-analysis was conducted using fixed-effect models for disparities described in three or more studies. N/A. Patients with cleft lip/palate, craniosynostosis, craniofacial syndromes, and craniofacial trauma. N/A. One hundred forty-seven articles were included (80% cleft, 20% craniofacial; 48% HIC-based). Studies in HICs predominantly described disparities (77%,) and in LMICs focused on reducing disparities (42%). Level II-IV evidence replicated delays in cleft repair, alveolar bone grafting, and cranial vault remodeling for non-White and publicly insured patients in HICs (Grades A-B). Grade B-D evidence from LMICs suggested efficacy of community-based speech therapy and remote patient navigation programs. Meta-analysis demonstrated that Black patients underwent craniosynostosis surgery 2.8 months later than White patients (P < .001) and were less likely to undergo minimally-invasive surgery (OR 0.36, P = .002). Delays in cleft and craniofacial surgical treatment are consistently identified with high-level evidence among non-White and publicly-insured families in HICs. Multiple tactics to facilitate patient access and adapt multi-disciplinary case in austere settings are reported from LMICs. Future efforts including those sharing tactics among HICs and LMICs hold promise to help mitigate barriers to care.

Listening effort, fatigue, and streamed voice quality during online university courses

Understanding the impact of listening effort (LE) and fatigue has become increasingly crucial in optimizing the learning experience with the growing prevalence of online classrooms as a mode of instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the LE, fatigue, and voice quality experienced by students during online and face-to-face class sessions. A total of 110 participants with an average age of 20.76 (range 18–28) comprising first year undergraduate students in Speech and Language Therapy and Audiology programs in Turkey, rated their LE during the 2022–2023 spring semester using the Listening Effort Screening Questionnaire (LESQ) and assessed their fatigue with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Voice quality of lecturers was assessed using smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS) measurements. Data were collected from both online and face-to-face sessions. The results revealed that participants reported increased LE and fatigue during online sessions compared to face-to-face sessions and the differences were statistically significant. Correlation analysis showed significant relationships (p < 0.05) between audio-video streaming quality and LE-related items in the LESQ, as well as MFI sub-scales and total scores. The findings revealed a relationship between an increased preference for face-to-face classrooms and higher levels of LE and fatigue, emphasizing the significance of these factors in shaping the learning experience. CPPS measurements indicated a dysphonic voice quality during online classroom audio streaming. These findings highlight the challenges of online classes in terms of increased LE, fatigue, and voice quality issues. Understanding these factors is crucial for improving online instruction and student experience.

Prevention of Cognitive Impairment Through Audiocognitive Rehabilitation: Results of the NeuRea Method

Background: The aging of the world´s population have led to an increase in the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases. Aims: The study aims to analyze the prevention of cognitive impairment through the application of audiocognitive rehabilitation (NeuRea Method) on people with hearing impairment. Methods: A total of 409 patients met the inclusion criteria. They were divided into an Experimental (EG) and a Control Group (CG). The EG underwent an audiological and speech therapy program. These programs included neuroadaptation adjustment of hearing aids and rehabilitation of impaired auditory and cognitive functions. Patients without cognitive alterations in EG also received cognitive training. The CG did not receive any interventions. Both groups were cognitively assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Results: Results showed that 85.16% of the EG obtained better results in the cognitive test, and no one contained worse results, compared to a 3% improvement in CG, 4% obtained worse results. 81% of the EG patients without cognitive impairment also improved. Conclusion: The NeuRea method can be used as an additional treatment for wearing hearing aids to improve the language comprehension capacity of people with hearing loss, reduce their cognitive load, and improve their cognition whether already altered or not.

The use of information computer technologies in the independent consolidation of knowledge in younger schoolchildren in the correction of dysgraphy

The relevance of studying the formation of independent consolidation of knowledge in children with disabilities is presented in a reasoned manner. Information and communication technologies are proposed by the authors as a tool for self-consolidation of knowledge. The authors consider such categories as independence, skills formation and children with disabilities, students with disabilities. Three directions in the theory of independent activity of P.I. Pidkasisty are revealed. The following authors made a great contribution to the study of self-consolidation of knowledge in children with disabilities: A. I. Herzen, V. G.Belinsky, N. A. Dobrolyubov, N. G. Chernyshevsky, D. I. Pisarev, E.Ya. Golant, Ushinsky K.D., Kaptereva P.F., Vakhterova V.P. In the study, the authors selected subcategories of children with disabilities, especially children with oral and written speech violation. L.S. Volkova’s classification of written speech is revealed. The group of 40 primary school students (second grades) took part in the study. The analyzed speech disorders in children of primary school age revealed the importance of independent consolidation skills of knowledge at all stages of remedial work. The results of studies revealing the peculiarity of using information and communication technologies (ICT) in the process of forming of independent consolidation skills of knowledge in children are considered. Special attention is paid to the consideration of the speech therapy program for the correction of written speech in primary schoolchildren with developmental language disorder (DLD) and using of computer technology, and the peculiarity of consolidating new knowledge at each stage of the study. The possibilities of using ICT as an effective resource for the formation of the of self-consolidation skills of knowledge in children with speech disorders are shown.

Program de intervenție logopedică pentru dezvoltarea limbajului la preșcolarii din grupa mare

This paper aims to identify the developmental characteristics of language in preschool children, capturing the impact of the speech therapy program on language development, and utilizing the principles of the TALK program in speech therapy intervention. The study sample consisted of 22 preschoolers, aged between 5-6 years, from a kindergarten in Cluj-Napoca. After dividing the participants into two groups, control and experimental, the evaluation was performed using three assessment tools: the Curriculum TALK, Portage (Language subscale), and the Logopedic Album. A speech therapy intervention program was implemented for the experimental group, followed by a final evaluation conducted using the same assessment tools. After collecting the results from pre and post-tests, all data were centralized in an SPSS database for processing. Thus, by using the paired samples t-test (hypothesis 1), the independent samples t-test (hypothesis 2), and Pearson’s bivariate correlation (hypothesis 3), it was found that all research hypotheses were confirmed.

Effect of Voice and Articulation Parameters of a Home-Based Serious Game for Speech Therapy in Children With Articulation Disorder: Prospective Single-Arm Clinical Trial.

Articulation disorder decreases the clarity of language and causes a decrease in children's learning and social ability. The demand for non-face-to-face treatment is increasing owing to the limited number of therapists and geographical or economic constraints. Non-face-to-face speech therapy programs using serious games have been proposed as an alternative. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of home therapy on logopedic and phoniatric abilities in children with articulation disorder using the Smart Speech game interface. This study is a prospective single-arm clinical trial. Children with articulation disorders, whose Urimal Test of Articulation and Phonology (U-TAP) was -2 SDs or less and the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test score was -1 SD or more, were enrolled. A preliminary evaluation (E0) was conducted to check whether the children had articulation disorders, and for the next 4 weeks, they lived their usual lifestyle without other treatments. Prior to the beginning of the training, a pre-evaluation (E1) was performed, and the children trained at home for ≥30 minutes per day, ≥5 times a week, over 4 weeks (a total of 20 sessions). The Smart Speech program comprised oral exercise training, breathing training, and speech training; the difficulty and type of the training were configured differently according to the participants' articulation error, exercise, and vocal ability. After the training, postevaluation (E2) was performed using the same method. Finally, 8 weeks later, postevaluation (E3) was performed as a follow-up. A voice evaluation included parameters such as maximum phonation time (MPT), fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, peak air pressure (relative average perturbation), pitch, intensity, and voice onset time. Articulation parameters included a percentage of correct consonants (PCC; U-TAP word-unit PCC, U-TAP sentence-unit PCC, and three-position articulation test) and alternate motion evaluation (diadochokinesis, DDK). Data obtained during each evaluation (E1-E2-E3) were compared. A total of 13 children with articulation disorders aged 4-10 years were enrolled in the study. In voice parameters, MPT, jitter, and pitch showed significant changes in repeated-measures ANOVA. However, only MPT showed significant changes during E1-E2 (P=.007) and E1-E3 (P=.004) in post hoc tests. Other voice parameters did not show significant changes. In articulation parameters, U-TAP, three-position articulation test (TA), and DDK showed significant changes in repeated-measures ANOVA. In post hoc tests, U-TAP (word, sentence) and TA showed significant changes during E1-E2 (P=.003, .04, and .01) and E1-E3 (P=.001, .03, and .003), and DDK showed significant changes during E1-E2 only (P=.03). Home-based serious games can be considered an alternative treatment method to improve language function. Clinical Research Information Service KCT0006448; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do/20119.

Neural Changes in Children With Residual Speech Sound Disorder After Ultrasound Biofeedback Speech Therapy.

Children with residual speech sound disorders (RSSD) have shown differences in neural function for speech production, as compared to their typical peers; however, information about how these differences may change over time and relative to speech therapy is needed. To address this gap, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine functional activation and connectivity on adaptations of the syllable repetition task (SRT-Early Sounds and SRT-Late Sounds) in children with RSSD before and after a speech therapy program. Sixteen children with RSSD completed an fMRI experiment before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) a speech therapy program with ultrasound visual feedback for /ɹ/ misarticulation. Progress in therapy was measured via perceptual ratings of productions of untreated /ɹ/ word probes. To control for practice effects and developmental change in patterns of activation and connectivity, 17 children with typical speech development (TD) completed the fMRI at Time 1 and Time 2. Functional activation was analyzed using a region-of-interest approach and functional connectivity was analyzed using a seed-to-voxel approach. Children with RSSD showed a range of responses to therapy. After correcting for multiple comparisons, we did not observe any statistically significant cross-sectional differences or longitudinal changes in functional activation. A negative relationship between therapy effect size and functional activation in the left visual association cortex was on the SRT-Late Sounds after therapy, but it did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Significant longitudinal changes in functional connectivity were observed for the RSSD group on SRT-Early Sounds and SRT-Late Sounds, as well as for the TD group on the SRT-Early Sounds. RSSD and TD groups showed connectivity differences near the left insula on the SRT-Late Sounds at Time 2. RSSD and treatment with ultrasound visual feedback may thus be associated with neural differences in speech motor and visual association processes recruited for speech production.

Acoustics of long vowels in Arabic-speaking children with hearing impairments

The present study investigates formant frequencies and vowel space area in Jordanian hearing-impaired individuals who received cochlear implants. To achieve this task, they were compared with their hearing aids and normal-hearing peers. The study involved 60 participants aged between 7 and 11 years, consisting of 20 cochlear implant (CI) users, 20 hearing aid (HA) users, and 20 normal-hearing (NH) children. All participants were native speakers of Jordanian Arabic. The study measured the fundamental frequency (F0), the first, second, and third formant frequencies (F1–F3) of the five long vowels: /i:/, /e:/, /a:/, /o:/, and /u:/ using Praat software (version 6.1.05). One-way repeated measure (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey tests were used to compare the differences between the three groups. The results revealed significant differences between the three groups in the degree of vowel height and backness for all the long vowels. The vowel space in HA users was found to be smaller than in CI users. HA users had difficulty varying their tongue position in both the high–low and the front–back dimensions, while CI users had difficulty varying their tongue position only in the front–back dimension. The study also examined errors in long vowels and diphthongs. The findings indicated that after cochlear implantation, the formants of the vowels produced by hearing-impaired speakers shifted closer to those produced by their NH peers, and CI users had a greater vowel space compared to HA users. This research could potentially contribute to the development of effective interventions for hearing-impaired individuals and could provide insights for the design of speech therapy programs that aim to improve vowel production abilities.

The Emotional Effects of Extended Breaks on Elementary Students in School Speech Therapy Programs

&#x0D; With the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affecting everyone across the United States and the rest of the world, people of all ages have experienced, and continue to experience, a wide variety of social and emotional challenges. Unforeseen closures have subsequently affected people’s lives, across the globe. Many of these people rely on school, work, and a variety of other special programs for academic, financial, psychological, and emotional support. With lack to these support systems, many are left feeling lost and falling behind.&#x0D; Language delays are seen in 1.9 to 2.3 percent of children between the ages of two and seven years. (McLaughlin, 2011). With that being said, school speech therapy programs are essential to the success and development of students across the country; especially in cases where private speech therapy is not feasible. Although these programs have proven to be both necessary and important, very limited research have been done on the emotional effects of the specific methods in use.&#x0D;

A Novel Telerehabilitation Approach for Cognitive-Language Therapy in Chronic Stroke Subjects With Aphasia: Neurocognitive Intervention Through Neurorehabilitation Exercises and Assessments

By stating “All people, everywhere, deserve the right care, right in their community,” <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref21" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[21]</xref> . the World Health Organization sets, in an exhortative way, the fundamental assumption for primary health care. Under these premises, we developed an augmented and extended approach to a home-rehabilitation system to provide intensive care to chronic stroke patients with aphasia. The system proposes neurocognitive intervention based on an information and communication technologies ecosystem through neurorehabilitation exercises and assessments. In this study, we analyzed the feasibility, satisfaction, and motivation of patients, and the clinical effect of the intervention using this complex platform which, among other functions, allows the administration of speech and language home therapy. Eight patients conducted a therapeutic plan, including speech therapy, using the remote asynchronous rehabilitation system; seven patients were included in the control group (CG) and followed a traditional speech-therapy program. The analysis of usage revealed that participants made continuous and intensive use of the platform. The results confirmed the acceptability, perceived usefulness, and ease of use of the proposed platform. Clinical assessments showed that the system administers speech and language rehabilitation as effectively as traditional therapy, allowing one to consider such an approach as a valid alternative to standard face-to-face speech therapy.

A Systematic Review of Online Speech Therapy Systems for Intervention in Childhood Speech Communication Disorders.

Currently, not all children that need speech therapy have access to a therapist. With the current international shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), there is a demand for online tools to support SLPs with their daily tasks. Several online speech therapy (OST) systems have been designed and proposed in the literature; however, the implementation of these systems is lacking. The technical knowledge that is needed to use these programs is a challenge for SLPs. There has been limited effort to systematically identify, analyze and report the findings of prior studies. We provide the results of an extensive literature review of OST systems for childhood speech communication disorders. We systematically review OST systems that can be used in clinical settings or from home as part of a treatment program for children with speech communication disorders. Our search strategy found 4481 papers, of which 35 were identified as focusing on speech therapy programs for speech communication disorders. The features of these programs were examined, and the main findings are extracted and presented. Our analysis indicates that most systems which are designed mainly to support the SLPs adopt and use supervised machine learning approaches that are either desktop-based or mobile-phone-based applications. Our findings reveal that speech therapy systems can provide important benefits for childhood speech. A collaboration between computer programmers and SLPs can contribute to implementing useful automated programs, leading to more children having access to good speech therapy.

Логопедическая работа по формированию метаязыковой деятельности у учащихся начальных классов с тяжелыми нарушениями речи

The study aims to substantiate the possibility of forming phonological, morphological, syntactic and pragmatic components of metalinguistic activity in younger schoolchildren with a severe speech impairment based on the author’s speech therapy programme. The paper analyses the essence of the notion of “metalinguistic activity”, determines the structure of metalinguistic activity, analyses and presents the results of a learning experiment demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed author’s programme for teaching Russian to schoolchildren with a severe speech impairment. Scientific novelty of the study lies in defining the structure of metalinguistic activity, which includes: the subject, which is the language system; the method, which is cognitive operations; the product, which is knowledge of language and the ability to operate with it; and the result, which is readiness for conscious text perception and text generation. As a result, the author’s programme for younger schoolchildren with a severe speech impairment has been developed and tested in order to form phonological, morphological, syntactic and pragmatic components of metalinguistic activity in Russian language teaching; the principles of teaching younger schoolchildren with a severe speech impairment when organising speech therapy have been formulated.

Designing a Reflective Assessment with Universal Design for Learning Principles: Insights from a Speech and Language Therapy Programme

Reflection is a requirement of the regulatory bodies for trainee and practicing Allied Health Professionals, making authentic reflection on practice a typical form of assessment in Higher Education professional programmes. The pessimism of reflective assessments from authors, working in HE motivated the scoping and design of an evidence-based assessment for reflection on the BSc Speech and Language Therapy Programme at De Montfort University. This paper presents a tripartite of challenges relating to the assessment discourse for professional programmes within a neoliberal University. First, the tension between professional and academic education is highlighted, addressing key themes from the debate around whether reflection can be assessed and how. Second, this is contextualised by the Higher Education Institutional national and local measures and the implementation of ‘assessment of’ and ‘assessment for learning.’ Third, the challenges of social mobility are presented given the high-stake responsibility for equitable learning and assessment. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are therefore explored in the context of widening participation. In response to the literature, practitioner reflections have influenced the design of an assessment which is pedagogically sound but inviting for students. This assessment is presented to demonstrate how reflective assignments may allow for creativity, individuality, and real-life value, whilst also providing a holistic judgement of students’ skills. UDL is implicit to the project and rightly aims to reduce barriers in the curriculum and the learning environment to promote inclusivity and support all students to achieve.

Influence of an Intensive Speech Therapy Program on the Speech of Individuals with Cleft Lip and Palate.

Introduction Compensatory articulations are speech disorders due to the attempt of the individual with cleft palate/velopharyngeal dysfunction to generate intraoral pressure to produce high-pressure consonants. Speech therapy is the indicated intervention for their correction, and an intensive speech therapy meets the facilitating conditions for the correction of glottal stop articulation, which is the most common compensatory articulation. Objective To investigate the influence of an intensive speech therapy program (ISTP) to correct glottal stop articulation in the speech of individuals with cleft palate. Methods Speech recordings of 37 operated cleft palate participants of both genders (mean age = 19 years old) were rated by 3 experienced speech/language pathologists. Their task was to rate the presence and absence of glottal stops in the 6 Brazilian Portuguese occlusive consonants (p, b, t, d, k, g) distributed within several places in 6 sentences. Results Out of the 325 pretherapy target consonants rated with glottal stop, 197 (61%) remained with this error, and 128 (39%) no longer presented it. The comparison of the pre- and posttherapy results showed: a) a statical significance for the p1, p2, p3, p4, t1, k1, k2 and d6 consonants (McNemar test; p < 0.05); b) a statistical significance for the p consonant in relation to the k, b, d, g consonants and for the t consonant in relation to the b, d, and g consonants (chi-squared test; p < 0.05) in the comparison of the proportion improvement among the 6 occlusive consonants. Conclusion The ISTP influenced the correction of glottal stops in the speech of individuals with cleft palate.

Validity and reliability of a social skills scale among Chilean health sciences students: A cross-sectional study.

Currently, there is a growing need to assess social skills in young university students since the use and application of these scales can provide benefits in different situations, such as work, education, clinical and psychological. The objective of the study was to verify the validity and reliability of a social skills scale (SS) for students from three professional health sciences programs in Chile. This information will provide understanding and development of SS among health care team members and between them and patients. A cross-sectional study was designed with 185 Chilean university students (141 males and 44 females). Students were recruited voluntarily from a private university in Chile. Ages ranged from 18 to 30 years old. Goldstein’s SS scale (consisting of six dimensions with a total of 50 questions) was used. It was administered virtually. Validity was verified by means of confirmatory factor analysis and reliability through internal consistency. The factor structure of the model confirmed the 50 questions and six dimensions of the scale. In general, the model reflected satisfactory values. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin’s (KMO) test for the adequacy (suitability) of the sample was 0.834, chi squared X2= 4344.8 (gl= 1425, p< 0.000). The comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.45, goodness of fit index (GFI) was 0.56, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.091, and the % of variance 54%. The communalities reflected values from 0.31 to 0.76. In addition, Cronbach’s Alpha values varied from 0.72 to 0.75. In its totality, the scale demonstrated a reliability of 0.75. The SS scale is valid and reliable. It can be used with students from nursing, kinesiology, and speech therapy programs. The results suggest the use and application of the scale with professionals working in higher education.

Moving hands-on anatomy teaching online: a reflection on creative solutions

As part of any UK-based pre-registration Speech and Language Therapy programme, all students are expected to gain knowledge and understanding of general anatomy and physiology, along with specifics related to speech and language production and processing (RCSLT, 2021). Although immensely important, it is often a challenging subject due to both the amount of information to learn and the methods of teaching (Singh et al., 2019). While traditionally the teaching of anatomy is presented as a set of lectures and rote learning by students, there have been increased attempts to innovate within this area, particularly in Allied Health subjects such as Occupational Health and Speech and Language Therapy teaching where there is less access to laboratories and cadavers. This has included the use of creative, active, and flipped learning techniques designed to engage and increase positive learning responses from students (Skinder-Meredith, 2010; Martin, Bessell and Scholten, 2014; Zimanyi, Emtage and Megaw, 2019).

Dysarthria treatment for Parkinson’s disease: one-year follow-up of SPEAK OUT!® with the LOUD Crowd®

Introduction SPEAK OUT! with The LOUD Crowd is a standardized speech therapy program typically consisting of 12 one-on-one treatments and ongoing weekly group maintenance sessions for patients with dysarthria due to Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is based upon the hypothesis that increased attention to speech, which is a goal-directed motor activity, may compensate for the impairment in automatic sequential motor behaviors often demonstrated in patients with PD. We present results on the 1-year response to treatment. Methods Forty individuals with idiopathic PD received SPEAK OUT! delivered in 12 one-on-one 40-min treatment sessions 3 times per week for four consecutive weeks in addition to ongoing group maintenance sessions called The LOUD Crowd. Evaluations occurred 3 times at baseline, within one and six weeks after completion of the SPEAK OUT! sessions (N = 40) and 1-year later (N = 35). Assessments included mean speech intensity and intonation from reading and monolog, the voice quality acoustic measure called cepstral peak prominence (CPP), and scores on the voice-related quality of life questionnaire. Results The significant improvements achieved in all outcome measures from baseline to completion of SPEAK OUT! were maintained 1-year later. Participation throughout the year in regular group maintenance sessions (The LOUD Crowd) was positively correlated with level of improvement at 1 year for all measures except patient perception of voice. Conclusions These long-term data contribute evidence of the effectiveness of this speech therapy program for improving communication for individuals with PD and emphasize the importance of regular and ongoing group sessions to sustain therapeutic gains.

Prevention of writing disorders in preschoolers with dysontogenetic development

The relevance of the article is due to the need to study writing disorders as one of the most common speech pathologies, in particular in children with mental retardation (hereinafter referred to as “MR”). Children of this category constitute a potential risk group for the occurrence of optical dysgraphia, due to the lack of development of a number of verbal and non-verbal mental functions. Consequently, it is required to create special conditions for psychological and pedagogical support for preparing children with MR for literacy training. The research purpose is to substantiate, develop, test and analyze the effectiveness of a speech therapy program for the prevention of optical dysgraphia in preschoolers with MR in an inclusive education based on a neuropsychological approach. To conduct an empirical study, the methodology by Zh.M. Glozman, A.Yu. Potanina, A.E. Soboleva “Neuropsychological diagnostics in preschool age” was used, which reveals the factors of predisposition in preschoolers with MR to optical dysgraphia. The study involved 64 preschoolers with MR. According to the results of the ascertaining experiment, 47% of preschoolers with MR showed a high level, 16% – a very high level and 19% – a critical level of predisposition to optical dysgraphia, with the most pronounced disorders in the development of spatial gnosis and visual memory. Speech therapy on the prevention of optical dysgraphia in preschoolers with MR, aimed at the development of basic functions (object gnosis, spatial gnosis, hand-eye coordination, visual memory, attention concentration), the formation and development of letter gnosis has proven to be effective. There were significant changes in the qualitative characteristics of the predisposition to optical dysgraphia (p&gt; 0.01). Research materials can be used by speech therapists in organizing and performing correctional and developmental work with this category of children with disabilities in an inclusive education.

The Importance of Optional Practical Anatomy Courses for Undergraduate Speech Therapy Students.

An in-depth understanding of the anatomy discipline is essential for the work of healthcare professionals. In recent decades, the content and time of teaching anatomy have decreased in all health science degrees. The aim of this study was to look for alternatives for compensating the reduction of the teaching of anatomy by supplementing students with a practical training course and to know evaluations of the course given by students enrolled in the degree in Speech Therapy and its impact on their academic results. All students (100%) positively evaluated having acquired skills and attitudes for their future professional life. The majority of the students (95.8%) believed that their knowledge was acceptable; 97.2% of the students thought they would have the possibility to apply their acquired anatomical knowledge as professionals; 98.5% were satisfied with the voluntary course; and finally, the percentage of students that passed the "Anatomophysiology of language and voice organs" course increased from previous academic years. Optional (theoretical/practical) undergraduate courses can be used in parallel to overcome the devaluation of anatomical studies in new curricula. The optional undergraduate anatomy course in the Speech Therapy program has been positively evaluated because it stimulated students' motivation and appealed to their interest in anatomy. Students considered that these courses would help them in their training and they could put what they had learned into practice in their future professions. However, very little evidence for the impact of optional practical courses exists, yet it could be an efficient method to increase anatomical knowledge.

A Case of Voice Therapy for Patient Who Voice Changed after Total Thyroidectomy Using Contactless Voice and Speech Therapy Service Platform

Voice therapy is effective in many voice and speech disorders. However, patients have low accessibility to therapeutic facilities due to disease-unrelated reasons such as lack of time and pandemic of COVID-19. Contactless voice therapy could be an alternative and may helpful to all patients with voice and speech problems. We developed contactless voice and speech therapy program on the necessity of improving accessibility. Herein, we report the first case of voice therapy to 30 year-old female patient who complained voice change after total thyroidectomy using contactless voice and speech therapy service platform in Korea. Key words: Voice therapy ㆍ Contactless ㆍ Voice disorder 핵심용어: 음성치료 ㆍ 비대면 ㆍ 음성질환