169 research outputs found
Effects of practice variability on learning of relaxed phonation in vocally hyperfunctional speakers
The present study investigated the effects of practice variability on the learning of relaxed phonation using a motor learning perspective. Twenty-one individuals with hyperfunctional voice problems were evenly and randomly assigned to three groups of practice conditions: constant, blocked, and random practice conditions. During training, participants in the constant practice condition were asked to read aloud sentence stimuli with four Chinese characters. Participants in the blocked practice condition were asked to read aloud sentence stimuli with increasing sentence length, starting from sets of two characters to five characters. Participants in the random practice condition were asked to practice reading sentence stimuli of variable length from two to five characters presented in a random fashion. Surface electromyographic feedback (sEMG) from the thyrohyoid muscle site was given to each participant after reading every two sentence stimuli. Results demonstrated that for all the participants, voice motor learning was evidenced by the decreased sEMG levels in delayed retention test. Generalization to untrained passage was shown as well. However, results did not reveal any difference in the learning among the three practice conditions. The findings from the present study did not support the hypothesis of contextual interference, which states that practice using variable items presented in a random mode is more beneficial to learning than practice using constant items. © 2011 The Voice Foundation.postprin
A systematic review and meta-analysis on acoustic voice parameters after uncomplicated thyroidectomy
BACKGROUND: Postthyroidectomy voice changes are common even without apparent laryngeal nerve injury. Our study evaluated the impact of open cervical thyroidectomy on five acoustic voice parameters in the early (< 3 months) and late (≥ 3 months) postoperative periods. METHODS: A systematic review was performed to identify studies that quantitatively assessed voice quality by acoustic voice analysis before and after thyroidectomy. Parameters included average fundamental frequency (F0 , Hz), jitter (%), shimmer (%), noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), and maximum phonation time (MPT) (in secs). Meta-analysis was performed using both fixed- and random-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 896 patients were analyzed. Relative to baseline, F0 significantly worsened in the early period (from 194.9 ± 34.9 Hz to 188.0 ± 34.0 Hz, P = 0.001). This was equivalent to a quarter-tone loss (P = 0.004). Shimmer (from 3.15 ± 1.59% to 3.19 ± 1.70%, P = 0.040) and MPT (from 17.9 secs to 16.7 secs, P = 0.046) also worsened in the early period, whereas jitter and NHR remained unchanged in the early and late periods. Males suffered greater deterioration in F0 (from 120.6 ± 18.8 Hz to 111.0 ± 18.5 Hz, P = 0.048) and in NHR (from 0.12 ± 0.02 to 0.16 ± 0.03, P = 0.019) than females in the early period. Four of the five acoustic parameters (F0 , jitter, shimmer, and NHR) significantly worsened after total thyroidectomy (TT) and not after lesser resection. CONCLUSION: F0 , shimmer, and MPT significantly worsened in the early and not in the late postoperative period. F0 impairment was perceptually significant. Males and those undergoing TT suffered greater voice impairment than their counterparts during the early period.postprin
Noise Levels In An Urban Asian School Environment
Background noise is known to adversely affect speech perception and speech recognition. High levels of background noise in school classrooms may affect student learning, especially for those pupils who are learning in a second language. The current study aimed to determine the noise level and teacher speech-to-noise ratio (SNR) in Hong Kong classrooms. Noise level was measured in 146 occupied classrooms in 37 schools, including kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools, in Hong Kong. The mean noise levels in occupied kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and special school classrooms all exceeded recommended maximum noise levels, and noise reduction measures were seldom used in classrooms. The measured SNRs were not optimal and could have adverse implications for student learning and teachers’ vocal health. Schools in urban Asian environments are advised to consider noise reduction measures in classrooms to better comply with recommended maximum noise levels for classrooms.published_or_final_versio
Common Practices of Australian Speech-Language Pathologists in the Management of Paediatric Vocal Health
Speech-Language Pathology Session IBConference Theme: Care of the Professional VoiceObjective: This study aimed to determine the common approaches taken by Australian speech language
pathologists (SLPs) in the management of paediatric voice caseloads.
Methods & Results: Forty-eight Australian SLPs with a current paediatric voice caseload completed an
online questionnaire containing 38-items related to assessment, treatment and discharge procedures used
in managing a paediatric voice caseload. Paediatric voice comprised between 1-100% of the respondents’
caseloads (M = 8.27%, SD = 17.71). Eight respondents (16.6%) considered themselves to be a voice
specialist. Perceptual ratings of voice disorders were used more frequently than instrumental assessment
tools throughout the management process. Respondents considered instrumental assessment by an Ear
Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist to be important however reported barriers related to ENT service
constraints (e.g., ENT availability and long waiting lists) and the associated cost to the client. A range of
direct and indirect voice therapy approaches (often in combination) were employed by the respondents,
usually determined by client specific factors. Respondents reported that it was more common for patients
to be formally discharged (M= 42.32%; SD=41.1) than to self-discharge (M=24.71%; SD=31.78). The
most commonly used outcome measures were clinician judgement, pre/post voice recording comparison,
and review of results from a follow-up ENT assessment. Quality of life scales were rarely used as
outcome measures. The majority of clinicians (56.25%, n = 27/48) indicated that they did not feel
confident when managing children with voice disorders, and would welcome further training in the area.
Conclusion: This investigation captured current practice of Australian SLPs managing paediatric voice
caseloads. This data allows for comparison with management approaches in other countries. The findings
highlight a need for further training in this area, particularly to enhance translation of recent research
evidence into clinical practice.published_or_final_versio
Tele-Assessment Project-Voice Risk Calculator: Reducing the Risk of Developing Voice Problems in Teachers
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Meeting - powerpoint presentationpreprin
Correlation between vibratory and perceptual measurement in resonant voice
Speech-Language Pathology / Vocal Pedagogy Session IB: abstract no. 3151Theme: Care of the Professional Voicepostprin
A Vibrant Community of Readers, Authors and Reviewers: A Medical Editors' Necessity and a Challenge for Medical Education
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Anti-Inflammatory and Wound Healing Effect of Acupuncture in Treating Phonotraumatic Vocal Fold Pathologies
Speech-Language Pathology Session 2BConference Theme: Care of the Professional VoiceBackground: Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in bringing about improvements in benign
vocal lesions and vocal function (Yiu et al., 2006). The underlying biological mechanism of acupuncture
in the treatment of benign vocal pathologies is not fully understood yet. The improvement is, however,
not a result of stress reduction that is often attributed to acupuncture (Kwong & Yiu, 2010).
Objective: This study set out to investigate whether acupuncture would influence the anti-inflammatory
process in vocal fold lesion healing ...published_or_final_versio
Characterisation of cannabinoid composition in a diverse Cannabis sativa L. germplasm collection
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