Immediate Effect of Stimulability Assessment on Acoustic, Aerodynamic, and Patient-Perceptual Measures of Voice

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine if patients with voice disorders could achieve immediate improvements in acoustic and aerodynamic parameters and patient's perception of the sound and feel of voice following instructions to use clear speech. This is a retrospective study. A total of 114 patients underwent acoustic and aerodynamic analyses of voice before and after instructions to use "clear speech," while reading a standardized passage. The patient's and speech-language pathologist's (SLP) judgments of voice change were also measured. An increase (improvement) in average vocal intensity (P<0.001), average airflow (P<0.001), total breaths taken (P<0.001), total reading time (P<0.001), and breaths/second (P<0.001) was observed as a function of "clear speech" intervention. No change in acoustic analyses was observed. Most patients reported an improvement in the sound or feel of voice immediately after the assessment. This study is the first to quantify acoustic and aerodynamic parameters and clinician's and patient's perceptions of a standardized stimulability test for voice change in the voice laboratory. These results are potentially paradigm shifting in the role of the SLP in the evaluative clinic setting.