Prevention Activities for Speech-Language Pathologists
Examples for Different Groups
Teachers
Collaborate with classroom teachers to identify children at risk for voice problems
Provide classes for teachers to educate them about typical vocal function and disorders
Provide lectures and discussions on healthy vocal usage in life choices and biology classes in middle and high schools
Expand school prevention programs to child care providers
Administrators
Inform school administrators about prevention efforts and activities
Parents
Inform parents of the their role in prevention and identification
Clients
Refer clients who smoke to cessation programs as part of their treatment for voice disorders
Refer clients with alcohol problems to alcohol treatment centers
Inform clients how to eliminate vocally damaging behaviors and how to avoid or limit use of the voice in unhealthy situations
Encourage clients to develop new ways to deal with daily tension and environmental stress
Encourage clients to avoid use of nonmedicinal drugs and prescription drugs (that are no longer needed)
Refer individuals with early warning signs of laryngeal cancer to an otolaryngologist
General Public
Develop and distribute information on the vocal symptoms that are early warning signs of laryngeal cancers and on the importance of medication assessment when symptoms appear