Treatment of Voice Hyperfunction in the Pre-Adolescent

1996 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie E. Glaze

Children with hyperfunctional voice disorders may respond readily to behavioral voice therapy based on education, voice conservation strategies, direct vocal function exercises, family and peer support, and relaxation. Treatment programs may take a variety of forms, but always rely on the successful integration of healthy respiration, phonation, and vocal tract resonance to achieve improved phonatory quality without vocal strain. Young clients are remarkably adept at recognizing and modifying maladaptive or abusive voice patterns, especially when combined with well-monitored diary charting and reward systems.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1637-1643
Author(s):  
Brad Rakerd ◽  
Eric J. Hunter ◽  
Peter LaPine

Purpose Studies of the respiratory and laryngeal actions required for phonation are central to our understanding of both voice and voice disorders. The purpose of this tutorial is to highlight complementary insights about voice that have come from the study of vocal tract resonance effects. Conclusion This tutorial overviews the following areas: (a) special resonance effects that have been found to occur in the vocal productions of professional performers; (b) resonance and antiresonance effects associated with nasalization, together with clinical considerations associated with the diagnosis and/or treatment of hyponasal and hypernasal speech; and (c) studies of resonant voice and what they tell us about both normal and disordered speech production.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-947
Author(s):  
Teresa L. D. Hardy ◽  
Carol A. Boliek ◽  
Daniel Aalto ◽  
Justin Lewicke ◽  
Kristopher Wells ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to identify a set of communication-based predictors (including both acoustic and gestural variables) of masculinity–femininity ratings and (b) to explore differences in ratings between audio and audiovisual presentation modes for transgender and cisgender communicators. Method The voices and gestures of a group of cisgender men and women ( n = 10 of each) and transgender women ( n = 20) communicators were recorded while they recounted the story of a cartoon using acoustic and motion capture recording systems. A total of 17 acoustic and gestural variables were measured from these recordings. A group of observers ( n = 20) rated each communicator's masculinity–femininity based on 30- to 45-s samples of the cartoon description presented in three modes: audio, visual, and audio visual. Visual and audiovisual stimuli contained point light displays standardized for size. Ratings were made using a direct magnitude estimation scale without modulus. Communication-based predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings were identified using multiple regression, and analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of presentation mode on perceptual ratings. Results Fundamental frequency, average vowel formant, and sound pressure level were identified as significant predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings for these communicators. Communicators were rated significantly more feminine in the audio than the audiovisual mode and unreliably in the visual-only mode. Conclusions Both study purposes were met. Results support continued emphasis on fundamental frequency and vocal tract resonance in voice and communication modification training with transgender individuals and provide evidence for the potential benefit of modifying sound pressure level, especially when a masculine presentation is desired.


2016 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosario Signorello ◽  
Zhaoyan Zhang ◽  
Bruce Gerratt ◽  
Jody Kreiman

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara R. Kapsner-Smith ◽  
Eric J. Hunter ◽  
Kimberly Kirkham ◽  
Karin Cox ◽  
Ingo R. Titze

PurposeAlthough there is a long history of use of semi-occluded vocal tract gestures in voice therapy, including phonation through thin tubes or straws, the efficacy of phonation through tubes has not been established. This study compares results from a therapy program on the basis of phonation through a flow-resistant tube (FRT) with Vocal Function Exercises (VFE), an established set of exercises that utilize oral semi-occlusions.MethodTwenty subjects (16 women, 4 men) with dysphonia and/or vocal fatigue were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions: (a) immediate FRT therapy, (b) immediate VFE therapy, (c) delayed FRT therapy, or (d) delayed VFE therapy. Subjects receiving delayed therapy served as a no-treatment control group.ResultsVoice Handicap Index (Jacobson et al., 1997) scores showed significant improvement for both treatment groups relative to the no-treatment group. Comparison of the effect sizes suggests FRT therapy is noninferior to VFE in terms of reduction in Voice Handicap Index scores. Significant reductions in Roughness on the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (Kempster, Gerratt, Verdolini Abbott, Barkmeier-Kraemer, & Hillman, 2009) were found for the FRT subjects, with no other significant voice quality findings.ConclusionsVFE and FRT therapy may improve voice quality of life in some individuals with dysphonia. FRT therapy was noninferior to VFE in improving voice quality of life in this study.


1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Pannbacker

There are many concepts about voice therapy that are at best, misleading and at worst, incorrect. Through this review, it is hoped that some of these misconceptions will be resolved. Issues reviewed include developmental factors, iatrogenic voice disorders, breathing habits, optimum pitch, palate training, and etiology based on perceptual cues.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Erickson-DiRenzo ◽  
Christine M. Kim ◽  
C. Kwang Sung Sung

Presbylarynx refers to age-related structural changes of the vocal folds that include muscle atrophy, reduced neuromuscular control, loss of superficial lamina propria layer, and reduced pliability. The changes result in thin and bowed vocal folds, increased vocal effort requirements, breathy voice, change in habitual pitch, and strain. The primary treatment options are voice therapy focused on strengthening breath support and the intrinsic muscles of the larynx, and optimization of resonance; injection augmentation of the vocal folds; and type I thyroplasty. Functional dysphonia is defined as change in voice quality in the absence of structural or neurological abnormalities of the larynx. Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a subtype of functional voice disorders and involves laryngeal muscle tension imbalance due to excessive or dysregulated activation resulting often in strained or breathy voice. MTD can be divided into primary (psychological etiology or vocal misuse) and secondary (compensatory for organic laryngeal pathology). The mainstay of treatment for MTD is voice therapy, along with medical or surgical treatment of the underlying vocal pathology in secondary MTD. Mutational falsetto, or puberphonia, is a functional voice disorder where a high-pitched, pre-adolescent voice fails to transition to the lower pitch of adulthood. This review contains 5 figures, 7 tables, 4 videos and 10 references Key Words: Presbylarynx, Injection augmentation, Type I thyroplasty, Primary muscle tension dysphonia, Secondary muscle tension dysphonia, Muscle tension patterns, Manual circumlaryngeal therapy, Functional dysphonia, Mutational falsetto  


Author(s):  
Gillyanne Kayes

Key structural aspects of the vocal mechanism and the physiology of vocal function are presented and discussed in relation to the singing voice. Details of anatomical structure and physiological function are given for the regions of the vocal tract and respiratory system under the broad headings of respiration, phonation (the larynx), and resonation. Use of voice in singing is examined in terms of breath use, control of pitch, and loudness, and shaping of resonance for change of timbre. Key developmental stages during the lifecycle are given, including infancy, childhood, voice mutation in adolescence, and the impact of hormonal change on the voice. Differences between the genders in adulthood are discussed in the light of current research knowledge of voice.


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