Phoniatrics comprises all disorders of communication affecting voice, speech and language, in addition to swallowing disorders and learning disabilities including dyslexia.
I.Disorders of Voice:
- Diagnosis and management of organic voice disorders, such as vocal fold paralysis, sulcus glottideus, vocal fold dysplasias and spasmodic dysphonia.
- Diagnosis and management of non-organic (functional) voice disorders as hyperfunctional, hypofunctional dysphonias, phonasthenia, ventricular dysphonia, mutational voice disorders, phonasthenia as well as psychogenic dysphonia and aphonia.
- Diagnosis and management of minimal associated pathological lesions (MAPLs) of the larynx such as vocal fold nodules, contact granuloma, early Reinke's edema and including postoperative voice therapy for polyps and cysts.
Clinical Diagnostic Aids used in voice disorders:
- High fidelity voice recording.
- Stroboscopic examination that allows diagnosis of early lesions of the vocal mucosa
- Videokymographic examination
- Video recording and documentation of the laryngeal picture by rigid telescope or nasofibroscope.
II.Disorders of Speech:
- Diagnosis and management of stuttering and all fluency disorders in children and adults.
- Assessment and rehabilitation of dysartheria and apraxia (motor speech disorders) in adults and children.
- Diagnosis and management of cases of velopharyngeal valve incompetence (causing open nasality = rhinolalia operta) as that following cleft palate and/or lips, or due to palatal insufficiency.
- Therapy for different dyslalias and phonological errors.
- Enhancement of esophageal speech following total laryngectomy.
Optimum Clinical Diagnostic Aids:
1. Formal testing of speech by articulation tests.
2. Speech recording.
3. Video recording and documentation of velopharyngeal valve in cases of open nasality.
4. Audiometry and tympanometry in some cases.
III.Disorders of Language:
- Diagnosis and management of adult dysphasia.
- Diagnosis and management of all causes of delayed language development in children including diffuse brain damage, brain damage motorly handicapped (cerebral palsy), hearing impairment, environmental deprivation, autism and other pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and specific language impairment.
Clinical Diagnostic Aids:
1. Formal testing of adult language by dysphasia test.
2. Formal testing of child language by language tests.
3. Neurological examination.
4. Audiological assessment by peripheral and central tests.
Additional scopes of Phoniatrics:
1. Assessment and rehabilitation of different causes of swallowing disorders (dysphagia).
2. Assessment and management of learning disabilities including dyslexia (difficulties in reading and writing).
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