Spasmodic Dysphonia Bulletin Board

They helped, but I had to quit the therapy because my insurance didn't cover it and it was expensive.

I was looking on the internet last night and ran acrossed this device called the "Facial Flex". It's a mouthpiece that is used to strengthen the jaw and neck muscles.

Helps with TMJ and speech therapy.

Here's a part of what they say about it in conjunction with speech therapy:

"Speech pathologists have long used basic therapies involving vowel sounds to help patients improve facial muscle control. These methods work, but are time intensive, and offer no measurable resistance.

"Resistance-based oral motor exercises are key to treating oral-motor disabilities," said Judith Creed, M.A., CCC-SLP. "Currently the devices used to provide this resistance are relatively crude instruments, including whistles, tongue depressors and fingers. When used in conjunction with speech therapy, resistance exercise gives better results, allowing for more control over the exercise and the outcomes than ever before."

Unlike simple facial exercise, dynamic progressive resistance exercise allows changes in oral-motor muscle strength to be precisely and objectively quantified by charting the change in a patient’s ability to perform an exercise against a specific level of resistance. In fact, clinical testing published in The Journal of Geriatric Dermatology confirmed that daily use of a resistive exercise device for eight weeks resulted in a 250 percent increase in facial muscle strength, a 32.5 percent average increase in facial skin tone and improved facial blood circulation.

To provide the most effective oral-motor exercise therapy, the following should be provided:

Consistent and precise controllable levels of resistance during oral-motor therapy
Range of motion exercises ("i.e., "eee_ooo") to be opposed by constant, dynamic external resistance
A highly efficient and user-friendly therapy device that can go home with the patient
Measurable outcomes of the therapy
Changes in oral-motor muscle strength to be precisely and objectively quantified by charting the change in a patient's ability to perform an exercise against a specific level of resistance."

This is a device that makes you do the same type of facial, mouth exercises that I was shown in speech therapy.

Has anyone ever heard of it? If so, does it work along with the speech therapy?

Thank you.

P.S. I've got to say (and I'm sure all of those with speech disorders can relate) that I am SO tired of people asking me
"What's wrong with your voice?" Under stress, I strain more with my vocal chords and that cuts off words and makes it really exhausting to talk.

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