title: Behavior Assessment Battery: A Pilot Study of the Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Correlates Surrounding Spasmodic Dysphonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates if adults with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) report to experience anxiety and voice problems in particular situations, indicate the presence of negative speech-associated attitude, and/or the use of coping behaviors, by means of the Behavior Assessment Battery (BAB) modified for voice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two participants with ADSD and 32 adults without a voice disorder participated in this study. Each person completed four different BAB-Voice subtests. These standardized self-report tests are adaptations of the original BAB for people who stutter and explore an individual's speech-related belief, negative emotional reaction to and speech problems in particular speech situations, and the use of concomitant behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with spasmodic dysphonia (SD) scored statistically significantly higher compared to typical speakers on all BAB subtests, indicating that individuals with SD report being significantly more anxious and experiencing significantly more voice problems in particular speech circumstances. They also reported a significant amount of negative speech-associated attitude and the use of a significant number of coping behaviors. Internal reliability was good for three of the four BAB subtests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BAB is capable of reflecting the dimensions that surround the disorder of SD. The self-report measures have the potential to augment the observations made by the clinician and may lead to a more diverse and all-encompassing therapy for the person suffering from SD. Future research with a revised version of the BAB-Voice will continue to explore the validity, reliability, and replicability of the initial data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. Electronic address: martinev@ucf.edu.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanryckeghem
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; The Ear Nose Throat and Plastic Surgery Associates, Orlando, Florida.
authors.forename: Bari
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffman Ruddy
authors.affiliation: The Ear Nose Throat and Plastic Surgery Associates, Orlando, Florida.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lehman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D057566:Self Report; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000379:methods*; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: Adductor spasmodic dysphonia; Behavior Assessment Battery; Voice disorder assessment