May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of SwallowStudy.com (May 2014)
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (#BHSM), which builds awareness of the services offered by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Audiologists. We do help people communicate (speech, language, stuttering, and cognitive-communicative skills), but we also evaluate and manage voice disorders, complex airway and trach/ventilator issues, swallowing disorders in adults, feeding/swallowing disorders in neonates through children/teens, and we help promote mealtime success, safety and wellness by working with the individual and their caregivers.
Click here for more information from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). You really need to check out all the helpful resources and links on the ASHA website for BHSM! Spring is a busy time for SLPs with raising awareness throughout May AND June! See this blog about how June is #DysphagiaAwareness month.
Take time to pat yourself on the back for all the terrific work you do every day helping people!
How do I promote “May is Better Hearing and Speech Month” in my facility?
Feel free to use this general article below when your organization, hospital, or rehabilitation center needs a May is Better Hearing and Speech Month post.
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May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
People seldom think about how dependent they are in their abilities to speak, use language, hear, think and process information, and even to swallow safely. Ever since 1927, May has been designated as Better Hearing and Speech Month (#BHSM). It is a time to raise public awareness of the hearing, speech-language-cognitive, voice and swallowing disorders that affect over 14 million Americans. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Audiologists are dedicated to evaluating and treating these issues.
Difficulties in these basic life skills are serious and often very treatable conditions that take many forms.
Children can have communication disorders and feeding/swallowing problems from birth. Early intervention programs have been developed to provide therapy to children 0-3 years of age who have or are at risk for developing a communication or feeding problem. Adults can develop speech-language, voice, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorders due to an injury, illness, disease or more (i.e., head and neck cancer or stroke). Older adults can experience a gradual decline in their ability to hear, speak, understand, and even to swallow safely, especially when faced with a sudden critical illness.
Many people have heard that SLPs work with stuttering (especially since the movie “The King’s Speech” in 2011). Did you know that stuttering makes speech difficult for more than 2 million Americans? Articulation problems cause people to pronounce sounds incorrectly, making their speech difficult to understand. Language disorders can limit a person’s ability to understand others or to express themselves. Voice disorders may make people sound hoarse or make speech production extremely difficult and even painful. Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing and can affect various stages of the swallow, from the mouth to the stomach. The person with dysphagia might have difficulty with the coordination, speed or the strength of the swallow. There may be a structural problem or a muscular problem. A swallowing disorder can cause discomfort, malnutrition/dehydration, weight loss, aspiration (food/liquid/saliva/reflux entering the airway), and aspiration pneumonia. Dysphagia can even be life threatening.
Each year in the United States approximately 800,000 individuals suffer from a stroke (per the American Heart Association in Circulation, 2015). That is more than one stroke every minute. According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the 5th leading cause of death, but 80% of them may be preventable. One American dies every four minutes from a stroke! About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes (blockage of blood flow). Therefore, if the person gets to the hospital fast enough (within 3-4 hours), he/she could receive a medication to bust up the blockage. The goal is to break up the blood clot before it has a chance to damage the brain. Depending on the area of the brain that becomes damaged, many problems could occur, such as:
- Dysphagia, as described above, is difficulty eating and swallowing.
- Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder caused by damage to the brain. Strokes are the most common cause of aphasia. It is characterized as an impairment of language modalities including speaking, listening, reading and writing. People need to realize that this is not an intellectual deficit. Additionally, the person with aphasia has not lost the words completely, it can cause a difficulty in word retrieval. It is like taking your finely organized filing cabinet and dumping your files all over the floor. The SLP can help you re-organize!
- Apraxia and Dysarthria. Apraxia and dysarthria can easily be confused.
- Apraxia is a motor programming problem by which the patient has difficulty sequencing speech movements and sounds; there is no damage to the muscles and no weakness in the muscles. They have trouble doing movements and speech on command. It is like difficulty with your computer programming.
- Dysarthria is a collection of speech disorders most commonly characterized by weakness in the muscles and slurred or garbled speech. It can affect the voice and respiratory power behind producing speech and voice.
Speech-Language Pathologists are professionals with at least a Master’s degree. SLPs are certified and licensed to evaluate and treat speech, language, cognitive, voice, feeding, swallowing and related disorders. They educate and counsel to help people cope and compensate for the problems. In regards to adult speech-language pathology care, people may or may not fully regain their abilities, but the speech-language pathologist can help them maximize their potential and live more independently with an improved quality of life!
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MORE RESOURCES FOR BETTER HEARING & SPEECH MONTH
- Again, See ASHA’s Resources to help you promote BHSM!
- Again, did you know that the month of June is National #DysphagiaAwareness Month to increase the public’s knowledge about swallowing and swallowing disorders (dysphagia)? See this blog for more details for June.
- See this 2020 blog about June is National #DysphagiaAwareness Month!
- See also this blog regarding Strokes and Swallowing.
- Check out resources on The American Stroke Association’s website and their terrific Infographic:
