Voice Assessment Flashcards
Assessment is a process which includes:
Case history including medical status, socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds done through a parent/patient/family interview.
Review of auditory, visual, motor, cognitive (and other s&l) status
Using standardized or non standardized measures of speech, language, voice
True or False. Evaluation is the appraisal of the implications and significance of the assessment.
True
What is the purpose of assessment, evaluation, diagnosis?
- To see if a problem actually exists and differentiate it with similar problems
- To determine the baseline level of the patient
- To determine prognosis in therapy
- To formulate recommendations to other professionals/the family
Case history questions re voice
Do you have any pressing voice commitments
How many voice training have you had?
Under what kinds of components do you use your voice?
Are you aware of misusing or abusing your voice during speaking?
Case History Taking: Some factors to consider
Patient’s perception and description of the problem
Onset and duration of the problem
Variability of the problem/description of vocal use
Patient’s perception of the effects of the disorder
Patient’s perceived cause of the disorder
Other symptoms related to the voice disorder
True or False. During the assessment procedure, a case history is usually done to gather clinically reliable data regarding a patient’s speech, language, and voice capabilities.
False. The purpose of case history is to gather background information
True or False. A doctor’s recommendation letter is primarily used to determine the tests that will be conducted during the assessment proper.
True
Why do we need to look at the larynx?
To have an idea about the current structure and function of the vocal fold
To see the condition of the larynx and its related structures
To support the voice diagnosis that will be made after the evaluation
This is a small laryngeal mirror placed at the back of the patient’s mouth and light is shined on the mirror from a headset.
Mirror laryngoscopy
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a mirror laryngoscopy?
Advantages: quick and easy overview of laryngeal anatomy and physiology, prognostic for either rigid or flexible laryngoscopy
Disadvantages: poorly tolerated by some patients, can only asses sustained vowels and not connected speech or singing, alters typical laryngeal behavior
What is a rigid laryngeal endoscopy?
A rigid fiberoptic scope is placed inside the mouth.
What are the advantages of a rigid laryngeal endoscopy?
Excellent and direct lighting contributing to good photography
Excellent magnification, contributing to good videography
What are the disadvantages of rigid laryngeal endoscopy?
Poorly tolerated by some patients
Can only assess sustained vowels and not connected speech or singing
Cannot assess the entire vocal tract
Alters typical laryngeal behavior
A flexible fiberoptic laryngoscope is passed through the nasal passages.
Flexible (nasal) laryngeal endoscopy
What are the advantages and disadvantages of flexible laryngoscopy?
Advantages: well-tolerated by almost all patients, minimal alteration of typical laryngeal behavior, can assess connected speech and singing across the vocal range, can assess the entire vocal tract
Disadvantages: optics and magnification inferior to that of rigid (oral) laryngoscopy
Used to visualize vocal fold vibration by using a synchronized, flashing light passed through a flexible or rigid laryngoscope. The flashes aer synchronized to the vibration at a slightly slower speed, allowing the vocal folds to be observed in slow motion
Videostroboscopy
What are the advantages and disadvantages of stroboscopy?
Advantages: allows for examination of vocal fold vibratory behavior
Disadvantages: requires the patient produce a steady fundamental frequency, requires additional technical skills of the examiner
The use of devices and instruments to measure the following:
Frequency
Intensity
Perturbation
Signal to noise ratio (SnR)
This is a widely used instrument to extract acoustic parameters during speech production (pitch, loudness, and dynamic range). It utilized a visual screen to present parameters (self-monitoring)
Visi-Pitch IV (KeyPENTAX)
More comprehensive hardware and software than Visi Pitch IV. Software and hardware modifications: auditory feedback tools, disordered voice database, games, MDVP (with jitter, shimmer, HnR)
Computerized speech lab
Other similar software that are utilized:
PRAAT (Paul Boersma & David Weenink)
Audacity
How can we get F0 or average fundamental frequency?
This is during sustained phonation of the vowel /a/. During that instance, this is where we get the F0.
What type of speaking task should I use to measure SFF (sustained fundamental frequency)?
Connected speech
True or False. Average fundamental frequency is correlated with the perception of habitual pitch.
True
Average fundamental frequency depends on the following:
Age, gender, and race
What type of speaking task should I use to measure F0?
Connected Speech
This is the fundamental frequency measured during connected speech
Speaking fundamental frequency
What is frequency variability? Value during speaking and sustained phonation?
F0SD
Pitch variability perceived as an acceptable change in prosody (pitch is rising and falling in prosody)
Can be obtained through the sample used in messing F0 and SF0
This is also defined as the standard deviation from the F0
Standard range from F0 is around 20-30 Hz during speaking and around 3-6 Hz during sustained phonation.