How to Decrease Hypernasality | Voice & Motor Speech

Summary

In this video, Alisha, a speech-language pathologist, discusses strategies to reduce hypernasality, which is common in patients with dysarthria or voice disorders. She explains hypernasality as the production of non-nasal sounds as nasal ones, and offers techniques to address it. These methods include increasing patient awareness through recording and self-labeling, using tactile feedback to identify nasal vibrations, encouraging an open-mouth posture, and applying the yawn-sigh technique to improve oral resonance. Alisha provides practical tips to help patients focus on oral sounds to reduce nasalization, aiming to improve their speech clarity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hypernasality is when non-nasal sounds are produced as nasal sounds, which is commonly seen in patients with dysarthria or voice disorders.
• 😀 A key treatment for hypernasality is helping patients become more aware of their nasal speech.
• 😀 One approach is to have patients listen to recordings of their own voice, labeling nasal speech as 'nasal' or 'hypernasal.'
• 😀 Patients can also practice identifying nasality by comparing nasal and non-nasal sounds, improving awareness of the differences.
• 😀 Tactile feedback can help patients detect nasality by feeling vibrations near their nose during nasal sounds (e.g., M, N).
• 😀 Non-nasal sounds (e.g., B, P) should not produce vibrations on the sides of the nose, which can help guide patients in producing clearer sounds.
• 😀 Encouraging an open mouth posture while speaking and exaggerating sounds can help reduce hypernasality and improve oral resonance.
• 😀 The yawn-sigh technique involves having the patient perform a yawn followed by a sigh to help lower the back of the tongue and raise the velum, reducing nasal sounds.
• 😀 This technique should be practiced throughout the day to reinforce oral-focused speech and minimize nasality.
• 😀 Additional resources, such as free PDFs, are available on the website adultspeechtherapy.co for further learning and support.

Q & A

What is hypernasality?

Hypernasality is when patients produce non-nasal sounds as nasal sounds, often resulting in speech that sounds like it’s coming through the nose.

In which conditions might hypernasality be observed?

Hypernasality is commonly observed in patients with dysarthria or voice disorders.

Can you give an example of hypernasality in speech?

An example of hypernasality would be if someone says 'maybe baby', but it sounds more like 'me me maybe', as if they're speaking through their nose.

What is one of the first approaches to decreasing hypernasality in patients?

A key approach is to help patients become more aware of their hypernasality by having them listen to recordings of their own voice and label it as 'nasal' or 'hypernasal'.

How can patients practice recognizing their hypernasality?

Patients can listen to their recorded voice and identify moments when they are being hypernasal. They can also label their voice as 'nasal' or 'hypernasal' during speaking tasks.

What role does tactile feedback play in reducing hypernasality?

Tactile feedback helps patients feel vibrations in their nose when producing nasal sounds. If they’re producing non-nasal sounds, they shouldn’t feel any vibrations in their nose.

Can you describe how tactile feedback is used in practice?

Tactile feedback involves placing two fingers on the side of the patient's nose to feel vibrations when they produce nasal sounds like 'M' or 'N', while non-nasal sounds like 'B' or 'P' should not create any vibration.

How can open mouth posture help in reducing hypernasality?

Having patients use an open mouth posture when speaking can help exaggerate oral sounds, leading to a more oral focus and decreasing nasal sounds.

What is the yawn-sigh technique, and how does it help with hypernasality?

The yawn-sigh technique helps lower the back of the tongue and raise the velum (soft palate), which encourages a more oral sounding voice and reduces nasal sounds. It involves yawning, sighing, and producing sounds like 'ha' or 'ba'.

How can patients integrate the yawn-sigh technique into their daily speech?

Patients can practice the yawn-sigh technique throughout the day when speaking, ensuring they focus on oral sound production rather than nasal sounds.