title: Effect of Performance Time of the Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises in Dysphonic Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to verify the effects of execution time on auditory-perceptual and acoustic responses in children with dysphonia completing straw phonation exercises.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, prospective, comparative intra-subject study design was used.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven children, ranging from 5 to 10 years of age, diagnosed with vocal cord nodules or cysts, were enrolled in the study. All subjects included in the Experimental Group were also included in the Control Group which involved complete voice rest. Sustained vowels (/a/e/ε/e/) counting from 1 to 10 were recorded before the exercises (m0) and then again after the first (m1), third (m3), fifth (m5), and seventh (m7) minutes of straw phonation exercises. The recordings were randomized and presented to five speech therapists, who evaluated vocal quality based on the Grade Roughness Breathiness Asthenia/Strain Instability scale. For acoustic analysis, fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, glottal to noise excitation ratio, and noise parameters were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reduced roughness, breathiness, and noise measurements as well as increased glottal to noise excitation ratio were observed in the Experimental Group after 3 minutes of exercise. Reduced grade of dysphonia and breathiness were noted after 5 minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ideal duration of straw phonation in children with dysphonia is from 3 to 5 minutes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lorena de Almeida
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: anacgama@medicina.ufmg.br.
authors.forename: Ana Cristina Côrtes
authors.initials: ACC
authors.lastname: Gama
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014833:Voice Quality; D014834:Voice Training
keywords: Child; Dysphonia; Speech therapy; Voice