Voice Therapy Techniques

Question 1

Voice Therapy Techniques (9 per handout)

Answer 1

>Laryngeal sigh w/ tongue/jaw release
>Breath support
>Buteyko breathing
>Laryngeal manipulation
>Circumlaryngeal massage
>Low impact voice
>Neck stretches
>Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT)
> Vocal function exercises (VFE's)

Question 2

Steps: Laryngeal sigh

Answer 2

> Long, silent sigh
release jaw/tongue musculature
Voicing may be added

*Good for MTD

Question 3

Steps: Buyteko breathing

Answer 3

Involves 6 respiratory cycles per minute through nasal breathing, reduced breathing rate and relaxation.
>Inhale 5 seconds
>Exhale (through nose) 5 seconds
>Forcing inspiration above normal volume

Question 4

Steps: Breath support

Answer 4

> Breathing through the abdomen and no clavicular/muscle activity.
Place hand on abdomen for biofeedback
abdomen should only move anterior-posteriorly
when coupled with voicing, voicing should begin at “top” of inhalation

Question 5

Steps: Laryngeal manipulation

Answer 5

> Palpate the larynx and laryngeal muscles
Check for muscle tension or tenderness
Place finger (thumb/forefinger) on each side of the thyroid cartilage (thyrohyoid space)
move side to side and downwards

Question 6

Steps: Circumlaryngeal massage

Answer 6

> Place thumb/forefinger on each side of the thyroid cartilage
Massage in slow opposite circles for 10 repetitions
Palpate suprahyoid muscles, pinch in, drag down to clavicle

Question 7

Steps: Low impact voice

Answer 7

> Reduce loudness

>Increase breathiness

Question 8

Steps: Neck stretches

Answer 8

> For trapezius, levator scapulae, and SCM
Hold each stretch for 10 seconds
Do 10 stretches each (5 each side)

Question 9

Steps: Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT)

Answer 9

> Hum (/m/ or /n/ one octave above normal pitch (for oral/nasal resonance sensation)
Hierarchy humming, phoneme, syllable, word, phrase, etc
Once humming is done at sentence level start to generalize into conversation and reduce pitch to normal

Question 10

Steps: Vocal function exercises

Answer 10

> Vocal warm up
Pitch glides
Prolonged humming of /o/ at selected pitches