Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine whether the academic, clinical, and fluency-related student experiences of professionals who self-identify as having specialized knowledge of fluency disorders differ from those who do not. Method An online survey was developed to identify the academic, clinical, and specific fluency-related experiences professionals had when they were undergraduate and graduate students. The survey was completed by 219 professionals within the field of speech-language pathology (122 self-identified specialists, 97 self-identified non-specialists). Results Considerable overlap was observed in training experiences of self-identified specialists and non-specialists. However, Chi-square analyses revealed a significantly greater proportion of self-identified specialists reported (a) completion of a dedicated course in fluency disorders during undergraduate and graduate curriculum, (b) interaction with five or more fluency clients during clinical practicum, and (c) exposure to specific fluency-related activities such as voluntary stuttering and attendance at a fluency-related support group. Conclusions Findings suggest that despite the degree of overlap between self-identified specialists' and non-specialists' pre-professional training, the quantity and quality of certain experiences may influence future decisions to focus more exclusively on working with persons who stutter.
Objective Patients with globus, the sensation of something stuck in the throat, are evaluated by otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, and speech pathologists and often undergo multiple tests and interventions. We hypothesize that a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) is useful to characterize globus etiology and correlate subjective globus location to atypical VFSS findings. Method Retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing VFSS over a 24‐month period with a primary complaint of globus. Globus was characterized by the patient as above the thyroid notch, between the thyroid notch and sternum, or substernal. VFSS findings were categorized as oropharyngeal, pharyngoesophageal, or esophageal based on nine VFSS abnormalities and then further broken out for subgroup analyses. Results Of 216 patients meeting study criteria, 109 patients localized globus above the thyroid notch, 74 between the thyroid notch and sternum, and 33 substernal. One hundred ninety‐five patients (90.3%) had at least one finding on VFSS that could account for symptoms, and the majority had multiple. In fact, 21 patients (9.7%) with dysphagia localized above the thyroid notch had evidence of distal esophageal abnormalities, and 15 (6.9%) with dysphagia localized substernal had oropharyngeal abnormalities. Conclusion Whereas VFSS was likely to identify abnormalities, these areas relate poorly overall with the patient's subjective globus location, and the clinical utility of the study is questionable. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 129:335–338, 2019
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