Voice Onset Time in Children With and Without Vocal Fold Nodules. 2023

Lauren Colletti, and Elizabeth Heller Murray
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Voice onset time (VOT) of voiceless consonants provides information on the coordination of the vocal and articulatory systems. This study examined whether vocal-articulatory coordination is affected by the presence of vocal fold nodules (VFNs) in children. The voices of children with VFNs (6-12 years) and age- and gender-matched vocally healthy controls were examined. VOT was calculated as the time between the voiceless stop consonant burst and the vocal onset of the vowel. Measures of the average VOT and VOT variability, defined as the coefficient of variation, were calculated. The acoustic measure of dysphonia, cepstral peak prominence (CPP), was also calculated. CPP provides information about the overall periodicity of the signal, with more dysphonic voices having lower CPP values. There were no significant differences in either average VOT or VOT variability between the VFN and control groups. VOT variability and average VOT were both significantly predicted by the interaction between Group and CPP. There was a significant negative correlation between CPP and VOT variability in the VFN group, but no significant relationship was found in the control group. Unlike previous studies with adults, there were no group differences in average VOT or VOT variability in this study. However, children with VFNs who were more dysphonic had increased VOT variability, suggestive of a relationship between dysphonia severity and control of vocal onset during speech production.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000162 Acoustics The branch of physics that deals with sound and sound waves. In medicine it is often applied in procedures in speech and hearing studies. With regard to the environment, it refers to the characteristics of a room, auditorium, theatre, building, etc. that determines the audibility or fidelity of sounds in it. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Acoustic
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D013060 Speech Communication through a system of conventional vocal symbols. Public Speaking,Speaking, Public
D014827 Vocal Cords A pair of cone-shaped elastic mucous membrane projecting from the laryngeal wall and forming a narrow slit between them. Each contains a thickened free edge (vocal ligament) extending from the THYROID CARTILAGE to the ARYTENOID CARTILAGE, and a VOCAL MUSCLE that shortens or relaxes the vocal cord to control sound production. Vocal Fold,Vocal Folds,Vocal Ligament,Cord, Vocal,Cords, Vocal,Fold, Vocal,Folds, Vocal,Ligament, Vocal,Ligaments, Vocal,Vocal Cord,Vocal Ligaments
D014831 Voice The sounds produced by humans by the passage of air through the LARYNX and over the VOCAL CORDS, and then modified by the resonance organs, the NASOPHARYNX, and the MOUTH. Voices
D055154 Dysphonia Difficulty and/or pain in PHONATION or speaking. Phonation Disorders,Spastic Dysphonia,Hyperkinetic Dysphonia,Neurologic Adducter Spastic Dysphonia,Organic Tremor Dysphonia,Spastic Dysphonia, Neurologic Adducter,Dysphonia, Hyperkinetic,Dysphonia, Organic Tremor,Dysphonia, Spastic,Phonation Disorder

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