Compare acoustic analysis in children with VPI and normal

Introduction: It has been hypothesized that speakers with velopharyngeal disorders exert stronger forces on their laryngeal structures in order to minimize hypernasality and to reach appropriate voice intensity. Several studies have investigated the voice characteristics in subjects with a velopharyngeal insufficiency. The resulting findings appear to be inconclusive and even contradictory. The main purpose of the present study was to determine the fundamental frequency (f0), jitter and shimmer in children with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and to compare them with normal peers. Materials and Methods: 32 children with VPI and 48 healthy children (grouped as controls) with the age range of 4 to 8 years participated in this study. All children with VPI were assessed via universal parameter test and those who had either moderate or severe hypernasality were asked to prolong vowel /a/ at normal voice loudness. All subjects in the control group were also required to do this task. The obtained samples were then acoustically analyzed using Dr. Speech software. The following acoustic parameters were assessed: f0, jitter and shimmer. The results were analyzed through descriptive and inferential (students t- test) statistics. Results: Considering average f0, jitter and shimmer, there were no significant differences between children with VPI and normal controls. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed no relationship between VPI and f0, jitter and shimmer in children aged 4 – 8 years. This may be accounted for by the low age range of the subjects. Keywords: Fundamental frequency, Jitter, Shimmer, Velopharyngeal insufficiency, Voice disorder