Investigation of the effectiveness of articulation therapy through tele-practice on children with cleft palate in Khuzestan Province during COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: A cleft palate is a common type of facial malformation. Compensatory articulation errors are one of the important causes of unclear speech in children with cleft palate. Tele-practice (TP) helps to connect therapists and clients for assessment and therapy. Our goal is to investigate the effectiveness of articulation therapy through tele-practice on cleft palate children in Khuzestan Province during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS & METHODS: Before starting the treatment, a 20-min speech sample was recorded individually from all the children. Speech intelligibility and the percentage of correct consonants were assessed for each speech sample. The control group received treatment sessions in person at the cleft palate center, and the other group received treatment via tele-practice using the ZOOM platform. Treatment sessions were provided in the form of 45-60-min group sessions, twice a week, for 5 weeks (10 sessions in total). After 10 treatment sessions, the speech sample was recorded again. The level of parental satisfaction was measured using a Likert 5-level survey. RESULTS: The mean score of intelligibility of the two groups decreased (-1.4400 and 0.7200). The two groups' mean percentage of correct consonants increased. (26.09 and 17.90). In both groups, the mean score of parents' satisfaction with the treatment was high (3.44 and 3.84). The mean of difference before and after the speech intelligibility and the percentage of correct consonants variables in both groups was statistically significant (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). In both groups, the satisfaction variable was not associated with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.067). CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of in-person therapy over a certain period of time is higher than tele-practice. Nevertheless, the results demonstrated an increase in the intelligibility of speech and the percentage of correct consonants in both groups, thus proving the effectiveness of articulation therapy in correcting compensatory articulation errors in children with cleft palate through in-person and tele-practice.

Comparison of Vocal Fatigue in Speech Therapists With Other Rehabilitation Therapists.

INTRODUCTION: Voice, as one of the most important communication tools in humans, can cause many problems in a person's daily life if it is damaged. One type of voice complaint is vocal fatigue, which is common among people who use their voices a lot. Rehabilitation therapists may be more vulnerable to a variety of vocal disorders and complaints due to extensive voice use and long-term relationships with clients. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare vocal fatigue among therapists in Ahvaz rehabilitation fields. METHOD: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was performed on 100 therapists in Ahvaz rehabilitation fields. For this purpose, the Persian version of the vocal fatigue index questionnaire has been used. One Way Anova parametric tests were used to compare target variables. The relationship between vocal fatigue and work experience and working hours per day was calculated using Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: A comparison of the scores of the vocal fatigue index in the rehabilitation therapists showed that there was a significant difference between the therapists scores in the field of speech therapy and the therapists scores in other fields (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Due to the nature of rehabilitation fields and the use of voice during daily interactions with different clients, especially clients with special disabilities, the possibility of voice disorders and complaints in this population should be considered. Therefore, providing the necessary training for voice care and voice health of this population should be noted in order to prevent voice disorders and complaints.

The Relationship Between Vocal Fatigue Index and Voice Handicap Index in University Professors With and Without Voice Complaint.

INTRODUCTION: University professors, just like teachers, are considered as professional voice users, who are subject to voice disorders and complaints due to their field of work. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between vocal fatigue index and voice handicap index in university professors with and without voice complaint. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study that was conducted on 84 university professors with an average age of 38.27 ± 9.95. University professors were divided into two groups with and without voice complaints based on the opinion of the professors about the existence or absence of voice complaint. Data obtained from this study was analyzed using SPSS 22 software at a significant level of less than 0.05. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between vocal fatigue index and voice handicap index in university professors (P <0.05). In the university professors without voice complaints, only the third factor of the vocal fatigue index was not significant (P > 0.05). However, in this group, there was a significant correlation between the first and the second factor of vocal fatigue index and voice handicap index (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate the effect of vocal fatigue on the quality of life of university professors. University professors, like teachers, are exposed to voice disorders and, thus, complaints which leave impacts on their career and should be addressed as a group of professional voice users to prevent voice disorder among them.