Waikato Swallowing & Voice Specialists

22/08/2024

We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Tauhei School on this great initiative 😀🤩

Rural Tauhei Com­bined School (TCS) has launched a big ini­ti­at­ive to help with the com­mu­nic­a­tion needs of some of its most at-risk stu­dents. The stu­dents require help to pro­nounce words cor­rectly to sup­port their read­ing, writ­ing and...

12/03/2024

Eating, drinking and swallowing medication is something that we often take for granted until it starts causing us difficulty. Today is Swallowing Awareness Day. Did you know Speech Language Therapists (SLTs) are specialists in this area and work alongside, Gastroenterologists and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons, to help diagnose and treat swallowing difficulties that people face.

If you would like to read more about dysphagia our associations website (NZSTA) has some great information, https://speechtherapy.org.nz/for-whanau/resources-for-whanau-and-carers/.

If you or someone you know is having trouble with swallowing reach out. Supporting people to enjoy mealtimes again is a passion of ours 🙂

The New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association has a range of information sheets on several important topics. This page is a work in progress - we aim to build the number of topics covered.

21/09/2022

Happy Speech-Language Therapy awareness week!

There are some amazing initiatives happening at the moment. Our colleagues at TalkLink Trust are fundraising to develop a synthetic voice in Te Reo Māori to use for communication devices.

Wahanga Tū Kōrero, TalkLink Trust wishes to provide non-speaking tāngata whaikaha access to Te Reo Māori. Join our waka to make this happen!

16/06/2022

One cause of dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) can be cancer😞 What many people don't realise is that 70% of mouth and throat cancers are caused from the HPV virus. A large majority of these cancers could be prevented by the HPV vaccine which prevents the infections that cause those cancers. If you would like to find out more about the vaccine please click on the link below:
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/medicines/h/hpv-vaccine/

The HPV vaccine protects against a virus that causes several cancers that can affect anyone. Find out about the vaccine and possible side effects. HPV vaccine is commonly called Gardasil.

09/06/2022

June is Dysphagia Awareness Month. Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing. It ranges in severity and can occur in all stages of life due to the many reasons people might experience dysphagia. Speech Language Therapists (SLTs) specialise in this area of health. We work closely with Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctors and Gastroenterologists to diagnose, treat or manage and support people experiencing dysphagia. If you or someone you know is having difficulty swallowing don't hesitate to reach out to your GP or directly to an SLT. We are here to help.

15/04/2022

🥳Celebrating world voice day🥳

This study looked at the effects of the following treatment methods for muscle tension dysphonia in singers:
1. Breathing exercises
2. Manual therapy
3. Both breathing exercises and manual therapy
4. Control (no breathing exercises or manual therapy).

The group that received both breathing exercises and manual therapy had significantly greater outcomes than the other groups.

We offer both voice therapy exercises and manual therapy at Waikato Swallowing and Voice Specialists. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via messenger or email [email protected]

Background Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is common in traditional singers and can lead to serious complications, but there is inconclusive evidence about how MTD should be treated in singers as professional voice users. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of breathing exercises comb...

18/02/2022

🤔Did you know that myofascial release/manual therapy can be beneficial for:
✔️Swallowing difficulties,
✔️Voice disorders,
✔️Tight or painful jaw,
✔️General neck and shoulder tension.

This service is available at Waikato Swallowing and Voice Specialists. If you are interested, you can find more information in the following video. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us either via facebook, email, or text/phone🙂

Walt Fritz, PT's Foundations in Myofascial Release (manual therapy) for Neck, Voice, and Swallowing Disorders.This video well-describes the approach taken in...

11/11/2021

Kia ora, my name is Leisha. I have been a Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) for 14 years.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science (psych) in 2005, and then completed a Masters in Speech-Language Therapy in 2007. I have worked in the health system in both New Zealand and Australia in acute, subacute, rehabilitation, and outpatient settings.

I have a special interest in voice therapy and work alongside Otolaryngologists in combined voice clinics. I also have an interest in telehealth and presented at the Health Informatics New Zealand conference in 2018.

I have completed further training in:
- Voicecraft https://voicecraft.com.au/
- Manual therapy https://www.facebook.com/FoundationsinManualTherapy
- Stroboscopy interpretation (Voice-Vibratory Assessment with Laryngeal Imaging – VALI)

I work extensively in voice therapy, and I enjoy tailoring voice therapy plans to my client’s needs.

I am a registered member of the New Zealand Speech Therapy Association (NZSTA).

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via email, phone or messenger.

Leisha.

11/11/2021

Kia ora, my name is Gwen. I have been a Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) for over 10 years.

I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor in Speech Language therapy from the University of Canterbury and then completed my Master of Science through the University of Auckland in 2017. My research focused on using specific measures when reviewing our swallow studies (VFSS) to help SLTs accurately analyse them. I have presented this research both within New Zealand and internationally.

I have worked across a number of settings including community, outpatients and inpatients (both rehabilitation and acute). I have a special interest in swallowing difficulties across many areas of health including surgical, medical and head and neck cancer. I work closely alongside otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists and dietitians.
I have completed further training in nasoendoscopy to assess swallow function (FEES), and am qualified to train other SLTs in this area.

I am a registered member of the New Zealand Speech Therapy Association (NZSTA) and am actively involved with the organisation.
I also have a personal interest in mentoring, supervision and leadership.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via email, phone or messenger.

22/10/2021

Good news! You may have seen that the Ministry of Health released new guidance for appointments for Allied Health (which includes Speech and Language Therapy) during alert level 3. This means we are now able to see patients face to face with added precautions, where Telehealth is deemed to not be a viable option. Please get in touch directly if you have any questions about this. We will guide you through what we feel is best for you in your individual situation. In the meantime, stay safe and get vaccinated if you are eligible! For more information visit the covid - 19 website,

A central place for information from the New Zealand Government about COVID-19.

29/09/2021

Did you know that another name for 'vocal cords' is 'vocal folds'?
The vocal folds:
- Close to protect your airway when swallowing 🍕
- Vibrate to produce sound for speech 👄

28/09/2021

Your vocal cords vibrate more than 100 times per second when you are talking 👄 For the sound to be clear the vocal folds must vibrate together symmetrically 🎤