News

On October 20, 2021, a webinar organized by the Language Research Center hosted Dr. Yahia Zeghoudi's presentation titled "Functional Dysphonia: A Rehabilitative Approach." The session focused on a particular speaking disorder, known as functional dysphonia.

Dr. Zeghoudi commenced the discussion by highlighting common symptoms of functional dysphonia, such as hoarseness, roughness, huskiness, breathiness, and a restricted pitch range. Furthermore, he illuminated various mental, physical, and external factors that can contribute to this disorder, such as specific job-related risks, stress and anxiety, throat infections, and other irritants.

In the course of his presentation, Dr. Zeghoudi shared the story of a French individual who was misdiagnosed by his music teacher following World War II. The teacher inaccurately categorized his vocal range as very low, not realizing that his voice was severely damaged. Consequently, this individual spent 20 years battling dysphonia, seeking help from multiple doctors and speech therapists from 1956 to 1976.

Addressing therapeutic measures, Dr. Zeghoudi discussed Guérin's approach, which concentrates on voice rehabilitation. Guérin developed a gentle rehabilitation program consisting of approximately 300 vocal exercises, from which he selected a focused set of 15 to 20 based on the patient's specific condition. Some of these exercises included yawning, voicing, larynx toning, and deep breathing.

The webinar succeeded in fostering an interactive and engaging environment, proving to be a substantial success.