Pediatric Voice Therapy Part 2: Pediatric Voice Evaluation

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Part two of this four-course series is designed to give participants an overview of the voice evaluation in children. Voice disorders in children are relatively common and frequently underdiagnosed. Many practicing speech-language pathologists report feeling uncomfortable with evaluating children with dysphonia. Participants will learn about the different parts of the voice evaluation, including history, perceptual evaluation, acoustic and aerodynamic evaluation, and laryngeal visualization.

Meet your instructor

Maia Nystrum Braden

Maia Braden, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with eleven years of experience working in voice and voice disorders. She became interested in speech pathology as a singer and earned her MS in Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. From there, she completed a clinical fellowship in voice…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Overview of the Pediatric Voice Evaluation

This chapter will provide an overview of the voice evaluation, including the purposes of the evaluation, the role of the speech pathologist, the role of a multidisciplinary team, and the parts of the evaluation.

2. Obtaining a Comprehensive History

This chapter will identify the components of a comprehensive history related to voice disorders in children. We will discuss the role of the parents as well as children and age appropriate ways of asking questions related to voice for children.

3. The Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation

The clinician’s ear is the gold standard for identifying and describing a voice disorder. In this chapter, we will discuss different stimulus materials that can be used for obtaining a voice sample in children, as well as the rating scales and systems that are available for evaluating voice disorders in children. Participants will listen to 5 voices and use the CAPE-V rating scale to rate them perceptually.

4. Acoustic and Aerodynamic Evaluation of Voice in Children

There are a variety of evaluation systems and measures used to instrumentally evaluate the acoustic and aerodynamic aspects of voice disorders in children. This chapter will give an overview of the measures frequently used and how they may be interpreted in the context of the whole evaluation. Challenges unique to children will be discussed, as well as strategies for optimizing this portion of the evaluation.

5. Aerodynamic Evaluation of Pediatric Voice

This chapter will discuss an form of evaluation that measures the properties of air pressure, air volume, and air flow as it relates to voice.

6. Laryngeal Visualization

Visualization of the larynx during phonation is absolutely vital for evaluating and treating voice disorders. The clinician must know what is occurring physiologically in order to plan and execute treatment, and to determine if behavioral treatment is appropriate. In children, participation in this portion of the evaluation can provide a unique challenge, but in many cases, careful preparation can be key to obtaining a good and meaningful exam. This chapter will discuss the different types of laryngeal visualization, and strategies to help children participate better in the exam.

7. Putting It All Together: Case Study

This chapter will illustrate synthesizing the parts of the voice evaluation with a case study.

More courses in this series

Pediatric Voice Therapy Part 1: Introduction to Pediatric Voice Disorders

Maia Nystrum Braden