Perceptual Analysis of Prolonged Vowels in Adolescent and Young Adults with Friedreich\u27s Ataxia

The purpose of this study was to conduct perceptual analyses, using the initial two-second portions, of prolonged vowels /a/, /i/, and /o/. Two groups of adolescents and young adults were analyzed- one group consisting of 20 individuals with Friedreich\u27s ataxia who were compared to 20 individuals with normal voice (control participants). A trained group of 10 graduate students listened to 132 vowel samples (3 vowels X 40 participants, + 12 samples (10%) for reliability purposes) for a total of 132 perceptual judgments. The students listened to the samples which were randomized onto Dell computers (Optiplex 755) and played through headphones that were set at a comfortable level by the listeners prior to analyzing the voice samples. Listeners used a modified version of the Consensus-Auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-VM) to rate the vocal qualities of \u27roughness\u27, \u27breathiness\u27, and \u27strain\u27 in the samples on a 100 millimeter visual analog scale with 0 representing a perception of no roughness, breathiness, or strain, and 100 indicating the most extreme amount of variance from normal voice quality. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if perceptual measures were significantly different between the two groups. Values on these analyses were expected to be larger for individuals with Friedreich\u27s ataxia than those with normal voice. Results revealed that all three measures were significantly different between the two groups, with those in the Friedreich\u27s ataxia group reported as having increased rough, breathy, and strained components in their voice quality as compared to normal voiced peers. Findings support perceptual measures as useful indicators for reporting changes in the phonatory system due to Friedreich\u27s ataxia