Acoustic Parameters during Phonation in Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the values of three acoustic parameters (PPQ, APQ and NHR) in 88 normal elementary school children between the 1st and 3rd grades. The procedure called for the children to vocalize sustained phonation of the vowel [a] for 5 seconds, until a constant pitch of voice was achieved; each child underwent 2 trials. Acoustic analysis was carried out using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program 5105 of Kay Model 4500. The results revealed that the mean PPQ was higher in the 3rd grade children than in the 2nd year children, with the mean APQ significantly lower in the 2nd trial than in the 1st. Comparing these data to those obtained by Nishio et al. (2002) it is clear that there may exist parameters yielding higher or lower values in children than in adults, suggesting that the normal range in adults may differ from that of school children. The results also suggested that APQ values may change in elementary school children depending on learning effect.