What is a voice disorder?
A voice disorder is a noticeable difference in a person’s voice or quality of their voice compared to other people of the same age and sex. This may present as a harsh or hoarse voice, gaps in sound and/or a voice that is too nasal.
Prevalence of voice disorders in children
Voice disorders in children are more common than people realize, with roughly 5% of children experiencing a chronic (long-lasting) voice disorder.
Voice disorders in children can have wider impacts than just their voice. It can impact their general communication with others and their self-esteem as they may feel embarrassed when speaking in class or when making new friends. Their participation in social activities and in the classroom could decrease, therefore affecting their overall education.
What to look out for:
● Harsh or horse sounding quality to their voice
● Gaps in their sound
● Quiet voice or lost their voice completely for periods of time
● Sounds as though they are speaking through a blocked nose, or
● As though too much air is coming out of their nose when they are speaking
What can cause a voice disorder?
Damage to the voice comes from overuse or misuse. This can be in the form of:
● Excessive screaming
● Excessive coughing
● Excessive clearing throat
● Talking very loudly
● Yelling
● Not drinking enough water
● Increased stress/anxiety
● Common childhood infections (nose, chest and throat infections)
How may it feel to have a voice disorder?
● Effortful to talk
● Vocally tired easily and quickly.
● Feel impossible to project their voice
● Sore
● The feeling of needing to clear their throat constantly
Caring for your child’s voice
There are many strategies that can help prevent your child from getting a voice disorder and assist them when dealing with a voice disorder.
Some of these strategies include:
● Try to create a quieter environment for your child to communicate in.
● Encourage your child to get closer to the person they are talking to, instead of having to raise their voice or yell.
● Schedule specific times in the day for your child to rest their voice.
● Help your child understand the difference between the loud and soft use of their voice in order to assist them with the instruction of “inside voice”.
● Praise your child and use positive reinforcement when they use their inside or gentle voice,
such as “Johnny you used your inside voice, well done”
● Discourage any negative voice behaviours, such as yelling, screaming, excessive shouting, talking over people or background noise and speaking in a harsh manner.
● Lastly, hydrate! Encourage your child to drink lots of water.
If you notice any changes to your child’s voice, you should contact your pediatrician or local GP where you will be referred to an ENT specialist and/or a Speech Pathologist.
Written by Student Speech Pathologist, Allie Godbold, for De Silva Kids Clinic
