G. Paul Moore lecture: unifying the disciplines of our voice smorgasbord

A look at the many disciplines working with voice over the past 50 years is provided from the perspective of a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Some of the earliest collaborations between medicine and speech-language pathology were seen in the management of cleft palate and velopharyngeal inadequacy problems and observed, also, in laryngectomee rehabilitation. The earlier concern of the SLP for the emotional and psychological aspects of patients with voice disorders appeared replaced with the rise of symptomatic therapy. Dramatic improvement in instrumentation assisted by computer analyses increased our awareness and understanding of both normal and disordered phonation. Although instrumentation today allows for many forms of visual feedback in voice training and therapy, this may be often at the expense of providing needed kinesthetic-proprioceptive and auditory feedback. Particular voice therapy approaches (cognitive, gestalt-holistic, imagery, resonant therapy, muscle training, and symptomatic therapy) used today are described. Suggestions are given for improving educational requirements and clinical experience in voice for SLPs.