The voice quality, breathiness, hoarseness, and laryngeal strain of 20 profoundly deaf and 5 normal-hearing children, age 5-19, were judged. Findings suggest that overall prediction of voice quality cannot reliably be based on glottal parameters and judged voice deviations, although severe cases of deaf voice deviations may be detectable.…

Speech teachers and singing teachers have much in common. Both attempt in their teaching to develop the most powerful and effective instrument possible while trying to avoid vocal problems. Both have studied the physiology of the vocal mechanism to assist them in their teaching. Both are concerned with the expressive qualities of the voice as well…

Many Down Syndrome children have some disruption in the oral communicative processes, including an unusual voice quality which may have negative social effects. Factors to be considered include fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency range, frequency perturbations, amplitude perturbations, spectral noise, formant amplitude, and oral and nasal…

Laryngectomized patients using esophageal speech or an electronic artificial larynx have difficulty producing correct voicing contrasts between homorganic consonants. This paper describes a therapy technique that emphasizes "pushing harder" on voiceless consonants to improve alaryngeal speech intelligibility and proposes focusing on the…

Questionnaire responses from 146 high school cheerleaders indicated that acute, cheering-related dysphonia may be preceded or accompanied by a set of clinical signs that could be incorporated easily into a screening protocol for prospective cheerleaders. (Author/DB)

A less aggressive treatment strategy is proposed in the area of children's voice disorders. Speech clinicians are urged not to be over-zealous in imposition of their own voice standards. The potential threat that vocal pathologies hold for children's larynges is felt to be largely over-rated. (Author/JDD)

This paper offers practical suggestions for vocal hygiene programs designed to prevent, identify, and treat vocal abuse by young children. Suggestions include construction of homemade instructional materials and use of commercially available resources. (DB)

This paper presents an approach to voice therapy with adolescents, emphasizing the importance of psychosocial and family influences as they relate to vocal behavior. The goals of therapy for the adolescent with dysphonia usually follow an orderly sequence, first dealing with individual behavior and later with family and peer group influences. (JDD)

Ten esophageal speakers and ten normal speakers produced repetitions of the disyllable /mama/ using five different conditions of syllable stress. Nine normal listeners judged both relative and absolute syllable stress. Reliable judgments were made of the syllable stress, and speakers were able to effect systematic changes in listener perceptions…

Preadolescents 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 should focus on integration of health respiration, phonation, and vocal tract resonance to achieve improved…

Two tracheoesophageal speakers experienced in use of the tracheostoma valve (TSV) produced speech samples varying with location of contrastive stress, sentence intonation, and use of TSV. Listeners (n=34) found that TSV-use reduced speaker ability to signal suprasegmentals; however, locus of the suprasegmentals, particularly stress placement,…

The treatment of adolescent clients with hyperfunctional voice disorders is discussed from a developmental perspective. Facilitating techniques, treatment strategies, and materials is suggested. The recommended treatment approach focuses on enhanced awareness of the relationship between voice use and interpersonal skills in addition to behavioral…

A voice training program to improve pitch register was developed for profoundly hearing-impaired young adults. Ten students of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf completed the program; results showed a significant reduction in pitch level, as well as improvement in pitch control and word intelligibility. (Author/JDD)

A familial basis for phonological disorders was suggested in this study which found that siblings of 20 preschool children with severe phonological disorders performed more poorly than siblings of 20 normally developing children on measures of phonology and reading. No significant differences were found on measures of language and motor ability.…

This article reviews 19 common myths in voice therapy. Issues examined include developmental factors, iatrogenic voice disorders, breathing habits, optimum pitch, palate training, and etiology based on perceptual cues. More referral, assessment, and decision making are needed, as well as development of standards for the management of voice…