Plural Publishing Handbook of Voice Assessments

"Ma and Yiu's Handbook for Voice Assessments is a handbook par excellence, certainly destined to be a landmark in the field of voice disorders. It is a concise volume that puts valuable information in the hands of readers. The contributions by experts from around the world provide a coverage of voice assessments that is extraordinary in its range and precise in its delivery." --From the Foreword by Ray D. Kent, PhD. Handbook of Voice Assessments embraces current best practice and the latest research on the assessment of voice by leading international clinicians and scholars in the professions. Each chapter focuses on one area of voice assessment and starts with a succinct list of the purposes of the assessment. Next, the procedure is described in an easy-to-understand and systematic format. Finally, guidelines on how to analyze the voice samples and interpret results are included. Special features of the book include: Theoretical background is restricted to a simple paragraph. Detailed instructions for each voice assessment are provided, allowing the clinician to immediately implement the assessment with patients. All chapters are consistent in format and terminology.Each chapter begins with the purpose of the assessment, followed by the description of procedures. The book is written in a lucid and straightforward manner, to be understood readily by student speech-language pathologists and laryngologists with a variety of backgrounds and levels of expertise. Each assessment method is illustrated by a case study that accompanies each chapter. Handbook of Voice Assessments maximizes students' and clinicians' competence, knowledge, and effectiveness. This text is a necessary and invaluable sourcebook for every undergraduate student, graduate student, and clinician in his/her early career. Review Barbara Prakup, PhD, Cleveland State University, Ohio, USA, Voice Foundation, (June 2011): "This is a well-organized, practical manual for the practicing clinician or the advanced student of voice. The book is organized into seven sections covering aerodynamics, vocal fold movements, laryngeal muscle activities, acoustics, resonance, auditory-perceptual evaluation and quality of life evaluation. Each chapter is written by established experts and presents theoretical background, description of system/approach, equipment and materials, test procedures, normative data and an illustrative case study. The chapters are clearly written and give helpful "how to" information regarding the use of instrumental and non-instrumental assessment of voice. Section II is unique in that it includes international perspectives on the use of stroboscopy in the clinical setting, enabling us to learn from colleagues in various regions of the globe. Handbook of Voice Assessments is suitable as a trusted reference for practicing professionals as well as a textbook for advanced courses in voice disorders. It is a welcome and valuable contribution to the field of voice." About the Author Estella P.-M. Ma, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Co-Director of Voice Research Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong. Upon completion of her doctoral study at the University of Hong Kong in 2003, she worked at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, the University of Queensland as a lecturer before she rejoined HKU in 2006. Her research interests include instrumental voice assessments, pediatric voice disorders and voice motor learning. She publishes quality scientific articles in high-ranking journals in the field and her work is regularly presented at international conferences. She is a steering committee member of the Asia-Pacific Society for the Study of Speech, Language and Hearing and also Voice Committee member of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics. Edwin M.-L. Yiu, Ph.D., is the Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Universi