Purpose: Translating exercise-science methodology for determination of muscle bioenergetics, we hypothesized that the temporal voice-use patterns for classroom and music teachers would indicate a reliance on the immediate energy system for laryngeal skeletal-muscle metabolism. It was hypothesized that the music-teacher group would produce longer…

Dysphonia is considered to be a common hazard associated with occupational voice users. Teachers represent the highest percentage of clinical voice disorder patients. Voice injuries in teachers could result in lost wages due to missed work, additional costs for medications, therapy, and surgeries, and teacher attrition. The purpose of this study…

Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia and laryngeal dysfunction are two lesser known complications after lung and heart transplantation. The presence of these features places this immunocompromised population at high risk of pulmonary complications and subsequent medical deterioration. Early identification of swallowing and voice dysfunction would…

Purpose: School-teachers have become a benchmark population for the study of occupational voice use. A decade of vibration-dose studies on the teacher population allows a comparison to be made between specific dose measures for eventual assessment of damage risk. Method: Vibration dosimetry is reformulated with the inclusion of collision stress.…

Purpose: Although 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…

Purpose: The cognitive load generated by online speech production may vary with the nature of the speech task. This article examines 3 speech tasks used in voice therapy carry-over exercises, in which a patient is required to adopt and automatize new voice behaviors, ultimately in daily spontaneous communication. Method: Twelve subjects produced…

The statistical information that estimates the magnitude of communication disorders among Egyptian children is scarce. At Mansoura University, a prospective study was performed to identify communication disorders among nursery school children in Dakahlia governorate, Egypt to estimate the problem's size among Arabic-speaking Egyptian children…

Purpose: Social contact is known to be vital for older adults' mental and physical health but, because communication impairments often co-occur with other types of disability, it is difficult to generalize about the relative impact of a communication impairment on the social relationships of older adults. Specific aims of the study were to examine…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of speech and language disorders in French-speaking preschool-age children in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon. Method: A total of 460 participants aged 3-5 years were recruited from the 7 communes of Yaoundé using a 2-stage cluster sampling method. Speech and language…

Background: In contrast with most medical and pharmaceutical therapies, the optimal dosage for voice therapy or training is unknown. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of a short-term intensive voice training (IVT) with a longer-term traditional voice training (TVT) on the vocal quality and vocal capacities of vocally healthy…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document typical vocal health characteristics (including voice-related activities, behaviors, and symptomatology) of young adults attending college and to determine lifetime and point prevalence rates of voice disorders. Method: Undergraduates at University of Wisconsin-Madison completed an anonymous…

Purpose: Vocal hyperfunction, related to abnormal laryngeal muscle activity, is considered the proximal cause of primary muscle tension dysphonia (pMTD). Relative fundamental frequency (RFF) has been proposed as an objective acoustic marker of vocal hyperfunction. This study examined (a) the ability of RFF to track changes in vocal hyperfunction…

Background: Post-spinal cord injury (SCI), individuals may exhibit mild to moderate impairments in aspects of speech influenced by impaired respiratory support. However, limited research has been conducted into the impact of these impairments on activity and participation when living in the community. Aims: To examine the nature and extent of…

Purpose: This study investigated the use of neck-skin acceleration for relative fundamental frequency (RFF) analysis. Method: Forty individuals with voice disorders associated with vocal hyperfunction and 20 age- and sex-matched control participants were recorded with a subglottal neck-surface accelerometer and a microphone while producing speech…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify parameters that would differentiate healthy from pathological organic-based vocal fold vibrations to emphasize clinical usefulness of high-speed imaging. Method: Fifty-five men (M age = 36 years, SD = 20 years) were examined and separated into 4 groups: 1 healthy (26 individuals) and 3 pathological…