ERIC Number: EJ1310810
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Aug
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Voice Quality of Children with Cerebral Palsy
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v64 n8 p3051-3059 Aug 2021
Purpose: Many children with cerebral palsy (CP) are described as having altered vocal quality. The current study utilizes psychoacoustic measures, namely, low-amplitude (H1*-H2*) and high-amplitude (H1*-A2*) spectral tilt and cepstral peak prominence (CPP), to identify the vocal fold articulation characteristics in this population. Method: Eight children with CP and eight typically developing (TD) peers produced vowel singletons [i, ?, u] and a story retell task with the same vowels in the words "beets, Bobby, boots." H1*-H2*, H1*-A2*, and CPP were extracted from each vowel. Results were analyzed with mixed linear models to identify the effect of Group (CP, TD), Task (vowel singleton, story retell), and Vowel [i, ?, u] on the dependent variables. Results: Children with CP have lower spectral tilt values (H1*-H2* and H1*-A2*) and lower CPP values than their TD peers. For both groups, vowel singletons were associated with lower CPP values as compared to story retell. Finally, the vowel [?] was associated with higher spectral tilt and higher CPP values as compared to [i, u]. Conclusions: Children with CP have more constricted and creaky vocal quality due to lower spectral tilt and greater noise. Unlike adults, children demonstrate poorer vocal fold articulation when producing vowel singletons as compared to story retell. Finally, low vowels like [?] seem to be produced with less constriction and noise as compared to high vowels.
Descriptors: Children, Cerebral Palsy, Voice Disorders, Vowels, Articulation Impairments, Acoustics, Early Adolescents
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R03DC012135