Paper Presentation: Understanding Sensory Processing in Adults Seeking Voice Therapy: A Strengths-Based Perspective
Voice production is a multisensory process requiring continuous integration of auditory and somatosensory feedback to guide motor control. Contemporary speech production models describe voice as emerging from interactions between feed-forward motor planning and feedback-based error correction, a process referred to as sensorimotor integration. Disruptions in sensorimotor integration have been implicated in the pathophysiology of voice disorders. Importantly, behavioral voice therapy relies on patients’ abilities to perceive and utilize sensor information to recalibrate vocal production. Although therapy frequently targets sensory self-monitoring, little is known about how individual differences in sensory processing influence engagement with therapy tasks.
Purpose:
This study aimed to describe sensory processing profiles in adults with voice disorders using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (A/ASP) to support development of strengths-based, sensory- informed voice therapy approaches.
Panel: Embracing Professional Vulnerability: A Panel Discussion
Voice professionals work at the intersection of artistry and science. Beneath both lies something less visible, but equally important: vulnerability. Vulnerability often surfaces in moments of uncertainty when we question what we know, how we care for the individuals we serve, and how we define our roles within a complex and evolving field. Yet these moments of uncertainty can also be where growth and innovation begin. In this panel, we explore three areas where professional vulnerability frequently emerges: in our relationships with clients, in our relationship with knowledge, and in how we understand and define ourselves as voice professionals.
Abbey Tabor, MS, CCC-SLP
Abbey Tabor, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with a clinical and academic focus on voice, upper airway, and swallowing disorders. She completed advanced clinical fellowship training at the University of Washington Medical Center within the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Abbey is a founding clinician of an interdisciplinary voice clinic at Powers Health in Munster, Indiana, where she collaborates closely with her laryngology partner to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care. She also serves as adjunct clinical faculty at Rush University Medical Center, contributing to graduate education through co-teaching and voice-focused clinical mentorship. In addition to her clinical work, Abbey operates an independent voice studio providing habilitation and rehabilitation services for singers across the lifespan. Her research interests center on how individual sensory processing profiles inform personalized approaches to singing instruction and behavioral voice therapy.
Financial Disclosure: Ms. Tabor has no financial disclosures.
Non-Financial Disclosure: Ms. Tabor has no non-financial disclosures.