Background: The human voice is a prominent feature and the most susceptible to environmental changes, lifestyle, and age. Voice problems tend to be significantly under-reported and consequently less likely to be clinically treated. It is yet to be established if the cause lies in the lack of awareness or the impermanent nature of most voice disorders. Objective: To evaluate the patterns and perceptions about vocal use and misuse among young adults in Pakistan. Method: The study used a cross-sectional survey design. A convenient sampling technique was employed to collect the data from n=242 healthy young adults aged 18-25 years studying in colleges and universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A 32-item survey questionnaire titled “patterns and Perceptions about voice use and Misuse” was employed, with a portion for demographic data and five sections dedicated to general awareness, self-perception about voice, and habits of vocal use and misuse. Results: The results regarding the perception and patterns of vocal use and misuse reflects that 88.3% of the participants agreed that precautionary measure would help them to avoid voice disorder. In contrast, 83.3% of the participants reported screaming and yelling as part of their vocal pattern. Participants showed a strong association with the positive attributes related to their voice such as beautiful as 82.2% of the participants reported their voice as pleasant. Conclusion: The study concluded that the outcome of participants’ perceptions and their patterns of vocal behavior were significantly atypical. Screaming and smoking were the most frequently reported response by adults but on the other hand, they did not seek professional help and did not perceive their voice as unpleasant voice. Keywords: speech therapy; voice disorder; vocal misuse; young adults

Background: Pediatric dysphagia is a common consequence of many structural and neurological problems after birth. In a Health care setting, Nurses can only screen out pediatric dysphagia if they had knowledge of swallowing difficulties Objective: To determine the impact of pediatric dysphagia awareness program among nurses.Study Design: A Quasi experimental study was conducted at Railway Hospital RawalpindiPlace and duration of study: Study was conducted at Railway hospital from January 2021till august 2021 Methods: The convenient sampling technique was used for data collection during the period of feb 2021 till may 2021. The nurses having working experience of more than two years in pediatric ward. The total sample size was n= 19, out of which n= 14 were females and n= 5 were males. The study was conducted in two phases .In 1st phase, questionnaire was developed and the content validity for items & content validity for scale was tabulated. In 2nd phase webinar of one hour was conducted and self- developed questionnaire was used for pre and post analysis. Analysis was done through SPSS 20.Results: Results of the current study indicates that, “There was a significant improvement in awareness of nurses about pediatric dysphagia after attending the webinar (96.055 + 11.8593) (117.227 +5.377, p<0.05).Conclusion: Research study concluded that an awareness programme about pediatric dysphagia improved the knowledge of nurses working with pediatric population. Keywords: Awareness Programme, Nurses, SLP, Pediatric Dysphagia

Background: Stammering is a speech fluency disorder categorized by repetitions, prolongations and blocks that interrupt the normal flow and forward movement of speech. The Fluency shaping techniques including Easy Onset and Pantomiming treatment are commonly used techniques for the management of stuttering. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Pantomiming and easy onset method for the treatment of blocks in stammering in school aged children. Material & Method: A randomized control trial (NCT04813588) was conducted in hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The Convenient sampling technique was used for data collection from National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM). The sample size was n=16, randomly divided in Easy onset (n=8) and Pantomiming (n=8) through lottery method. The schools going children and adolescent between 6-18 years of both genders with mild to moderate stammering with blocking symptoms were included. The severity of stuttering was assessed with real time analysis of speech fluency. The data was analysed at the baseline and after three months of intervention. The non-parametric tests were applied for within and between group analyses. Results: The mean age of the participants was 10.38±5.290 years. A total n=11 were males and n=5 were females. When compared both groups, there was no significant difference between Easy onset and Pantomiming technique {MR=9 vs MR=8, U=28, p=0.535} in the management of stuttering after three months of intervention. Conclusion: The easy onset and pantomiming techniques are equally effective in improving the blocking in stuttering. Keywords: Blocks, easy onset, fluency shaping, pantomiming, speech therapy, stammering, stuttering