Voice

Voice Disorders

Unfortunately, voice disorders are all too common in the early school age population.  Students with specific voice disorders are typically seen outside of the school setting in conjunction with an ear, nose and throat doctor.  If a child is having difficulties within the school setting that are exasperating a known voice disorder, the speech language pathologist within that school may intervene with either direct therapy or function as a liaison to the classroom teacher in order to support appropriate vocal habits. 

Activities Which May Cause Vocal Distress

• Talking and singing in excess
         shouting in the playground against background noise
         overusing the voice when sick
         overusing the voice when emotional or tired
         shouting across large distances
• Glottal attack
         using a forceful voice (grunting prior to speaking)
• Crying, laughing, loud and long outbursts
         tantrums for excessive lengths of times will cause unneeded strain on the vocal folds
• Shouting, cheering, screaming
• Throat clearing
         each time the throat is cleared, the vocal folds are slammed together
• Using character voices or different sound effects
• Restricted fluid intake
         healthy vocal hygiene requires adequate fluid intake (water is the most appropriate)

To learn more about this topic click here.