Voice
Voice
- Children can use their voices in healthy ways or in ways that can be harmful and result in problems. These problems are particularly prevalent in spring. Outside play, allergies and team sports are a part of life. It is natural for children to yell, cheer, shout and make truck and plane noises while playing. They may even cough or clear their throats excessively due to summer colds. All of these behaviors combine to stress the vocal folds, and when this happens, a voice disorder may result. Your child's voice becomes qualitatively different from how it sounds normally or from how friends his age may sound.
What Are Some Common Causes of Voice Disorders?
- The most common causes of voice problems in children include voice misuse, medical problems and emotional issues. All children engage in these vocal behaviors to some extent, but when these behaviors become habits problems can occur.
- Vocal Trauma:
- Shouting or screaming
- Speaking with excessive force
- Talking too much
- Constant coughing or throat clearing
- Straining the voice to imitate noises like engines or sirens
- Vocal Misuse:
- Speaking too loudly
- Speaking with too high or too low a pitch.
- Talking over background noise
- Speaking without proper breath support.
- Drinking too many caffeinated beverages and not enough water.
- These poor vocal habits may cause irritation to the thin layer of mucous membrane that covers the vocal folds. Continuous irritation leads to swelling, redness or callous-like growths called vocal nodules. Think about what happens when you clap your hands together for a long time. Your hands start to get red and sore, and sometimes blisters or calluses may develop on your palms. A similar occurrence can happen to your child's vocal folds when he exerts too much effort on them by yelling or talking for too long.
- Children may also develop voice problems due to medical issues. Physical or structural defects, neurological problems, upper respiratory infections, allergies or gastrointestinal disorders, as well as some medications, can lead to voice disorders. In the summer, allergies, asthma and long summer colds can be especially hard on the vocal folds.
- Emotional issues may also cause voice disorders. Some behaviors affect how the vocal folds work.
How Do I Know if There Is a Problem?
If your child is displaying some of the following voice qualities, or his/her voice have changed recently for reasons other than puberty, he/she may be exhibiting signs of a voice problem:
If your child is displaying some of the following voice qualities, or his/her voice have changed recently for reasons other than puberty, he/she may be exhibiting signs of a voice problem:
- Frequent coughing
- Hoarse or rough sounding voice
- Strained quality to voice
- Voice lost every time he has a cold
- Always sounds as if he has a cold
- Voice changes throughout the day
- Excessive yelling, screaming or crying
- Participation in activities such as sports, cheerleading, drama and singing that involve yelling or excessive use of voice
- Dissatisfaction with the sound of his voice
- Allergies
- Hearing loss
- Perception that voice does not sound right
What Are the Most Common and Effective Treatments?
- While the most effective treatment is prevention, other treatments include vocal hygiene programs and direct voice therapy with an SLP. Training in vocal hygiene helps teach your child how to keep their vocal folds moist by drinking lots of water and staying away from caffeine. Voice therapy teaches your child how to use their voice correctly by teaching them various techniques.
Can a Voice Disorder Affect My Child's Education?
- If a child's voice disorder is not identified and treated, it can impact their education. Children and adolescents with voice disorders may seek to conceal these disorders by limiting their participation in oral reading activities; decreasing public speaking or classroom discussions; becoming anxious or fearful of negative attention; or becoming reluctant to engage in certain vocal activities. Further, if your child has an unidentified voice disorder they may continue to participate in activities and behaviors that may worsen the problem.
What Can I Do to Help My Child?
Changing vocal habits is difficult work. It may require the involvement of your child, the SLP and the help and support of the whole family. If your child is school-age you will also want to involve the teacher, as well as any coaches or other important adults in your child's life. Your child's SLP will set up a home program to help him improve his vocal function with exercises and activities specific to his needs. Here are some general tips that a parent can use at home:
Changing vocal habits is difficult work. It may require the involvement of your child, the SLP and the help and support of the whole family. If your child is school-age you will also want to involve the teacher, as well as any coaches or other important adults in your child's life. Your child's SLP will set up a home program to help him improve his vocal function with exercises and activities specific to his needs. Here are some general tips that a parent can use at home:
- Make a list of situations in which your child may misuse his voice.
- Become a careful listener (e.g., is there a lot of throat clearing at home or yelling at soccer practice?).
- Remind your child to use a softer, gentler voice.
- Develop signals to help your child remember to use an appropriate voice (i.e., based on therapy suggestions).
- Suggest alternatives to yelling at sporting events (e.g., noisemakers, signs, pom-poms, etc.).
- Discourage the use of non-speech noises while playing (e.g., plane sounds, beeping, car noises, etc.).
- Turn down radio and TV volume when talking.
- Suggest some quiet time activities, if your child is sounding hoarse.
- Model good vocal behavior.