About Avivit Ben-Aharon
Founder & Clinical Director at Great Speech Inc. | Providing Innovative Alternatives to Speech Pathology Services
Entries by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Rip, Rug, Run: Speech Therapy Exercises for Remediation of the R Sound
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Current estimates suggest that approximately 5% of American children aged 3 to 17 are living with a speech disorder of some kind. While there are many different types of speech disorders, speech sound disorders tend to be the most prevalent in school-aged children. A speech sound disorder affects one’s ability to produce certain speech [...]
What Are the Symptoms of Spasmodic Dysphonia?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Spasmodic dysphonia is an uncommon voice disorder that causes the muscles in the larynx and voice box to spasm involuntarily. This disorder is relatively rare, affecting approximately 1 in every 100,000 individuals. Individuals with this condition experience spontaneous and uncontrollable spasms or seizing of the affected muscles when speaking. While spasmodic dysphonia can affect [...]
What is the Goal of Parent Coaching in Speech Therapy?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
What is covered in this article: Importance of Parent Coaching: Parent coaching in speech therapy is crucial because parents and caregivers spend significantly more time with the child than the speech therapist, allowing for continuous learning and reinforcement of communication skills at home. Impact of Parent Involvement: Studies show that children whose parents actively engage [...]
What is a Prolongation in Speech?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Role of Speech Therapy: Speech therapy is highly effective in helping individuals who stutter by reducing disfluencies, improving speech fluency, and boosting confidence. Types of Stuttering: Stuttering can manifest as prolongations, repetitions, and blocks, often accompanied by avoidance behaviors and physical tension. Causes of Stuttering: While the exact causes of stuttering are unclear, it often [...]
What is Resonance in Speech Therapy?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
What this article covers: Understanding Resonance: Resonance refers to how airflow is shaped as it travels through the oral and nasal cavities during speech, affecting the quality and clarity of the voice. Proper resonance is essential for producing a rich and full voice. Resoance Disorders: Resonance disorders occur when airflow is improperly directed through the [...]
Is a Stutter a Speech Disability?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
This article covers the following topics on Stuttering: Stuttering Defined: Stuttering is a fluency disorder that disrupts the flow of speech, characterized by repetitions, prolongations, and blocks in speech. It's not a mental, intellectual, or learning disability but a difference in verbal communication. Causes of Stuttering: Stuttering can be influenced by genetic factors, [...]
Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety Through Speech Therapy
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
What we cover in this article: Challenges in Public Speaking: Public speaking anxiety stems from various factors, including fear of judgment, nervousness, lack of confidence, and insufficient communication skills, making it a daunting task for many. Role of Speech Therapy: Speech therapy can help individuals overcome public speaking anxiety by improving communication skills, building confidence, [...]
Can Speech Therapy Help With Belching (Aerophagia)
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Ingesting small amounts of air when eating, talking, or laughing is a normal part of the human experience. However, some people gulp or ingest excessive amounts of air, which can cause uncomfortable gastrointestinal problems. This condition is known as aerophagia, which is a medical term that refers to repetitive or extreme air ingestion. Aerophagia can [...]
Why am I Suddenly Talking with a Lisp?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
A lisp is a common speech condition that makes pronouncing particular sounds difficult and can affect people of any age. The most common sounds that are difficult to say due to a lisp are “s” and “z”. Lisps can be caused by many different factors, but a lisp that appears suddenly can be a sign [...]
How to Improve Communication in Adults?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
Effective communication is an essential part of everyday life, and when an adult is struggling with a speech impediment, this struggle can have a major impact on their quality of life, self-esteem, and ability to navigate daily tasks and routines. Speech impediments in adults can cause difficulties with expressing thoughts, ideas, and feelings, effectively understanding [...]
Can Speech Therapy Help with Chronic Cough?
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
If you’ve ever been ill with a cold that leaves you coughing relentlessly, you know how frustrating it can be to have an uncontrollable cough. Coughing is one of the body’s many natural reflexes that works to clear out our lungs and throat and prevent infection by pushing irritants and particles (mucus and [...]
Combatting the Social Stigma of Speech Therapy
/ by Avivit Ben-Aharon
While attitudes have begun to change over recent years, there is still a social stigma surrounding communication challenges and the need for speech therapy. However, speech therapy has become more widespread and celebrated amongst individuals of all ages due to a better understanding of what speech therapy is and how it benefits people around the [...]