#SpeechTherapy

When Breathing Feels Like Sucking Air Through a Stir Straw: What is VCD / PVFM?

If you’ve ever been in the middle of a workout, a stress peak, or a cold day outside and suddenly felt like your airway was snapping shut - you may be welcomed to the wildly frustrating world of Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD), also known as Paradoxical Vocal Fold Movement (PVFM). As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) who spends my days staring at vocal folds (and yes, I still think they look like tiny, muscular arches), I am here to tell you two things right off the bat: You a

Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP

7 days ago5 min read

Is Your Voice Feeling Strained? What Every SLP Wants You to Know About Muscle Tension Dysphonia

If you’re a teacher projecting over 25 sugar-fueled eight-year-olds, a doctor or nurse dictating notes after a 14-hour shift, a customer service representative answering your 396th call of the day, or a supervisor leading back-to-back staff meetings and conference calls, welcome! You belong to the High Vocal Demand Club. Your membership comes with high expectations, zero downtime, and, very often, a voice box that feels like it spent the weekend running a marathon in combat b

Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP

Sep 156 min read

My Loved One Has Aphasia After a Stroke: What to Expect (and How to Breathe Through It)

Discovering that a loved one has survived a stroke brings a massive wave of relief. But that relief is often quickly followed by a wave of confusion—especially if the doctor looks at you and says, “They are experiencing aphasia.” Suddenly, you’re thrust into a world of medical jargon, trying to figure out why your fiercely independent parent or spouse is looking at a coffee mug, knows exactly what it is, but can only find the word "elephant" to describe it. If you are current

Speech Language Pathology

Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP

Aug 285 min read