Work

Multidimensional Perceptual Structure of Pediatric Dysphonia in Children With Glottal and Supraglottal Vibratory Sources

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: PURPOSE: Pediatric dysphonia can be categorized by the vibratory source used for voicing: the glottal vibratory source (GVS) and supraglottal vibratory source (SGVS). While voice quality assessment is integral to clinical voice care, there is limited research to support the direct adoption of tools developed for adult voices in the assessment of pediatric voices, particularly given the potential differences in vibratory sources. The study aimed to determine the primary voice quality dimensions in children with GVS and SGVS via multidimensional scaling. METHOD: Sustained /ɑ/ phonations from 15 children with GVS and 15 children with SGVS representing a wide range of dysphonia severity were selected. Fifteen listeners participated in a pairwise comparison task, rating the perceived similarity of voice quality between stimuli pairs. Averaged perceptual distances between stimuli were analyzed using a PROXSCAL model to determine the optimal multidimensional model. To interpret each resulting dimension, auditory-perceptual and objective measures of voice quality were obtained. RESULTS: The dominant perceptual dimension in both GVS and SGVS voices was related to signal periodicity, which was associated with perceived hoarseness and overall dysphonia severity. Other perceptual dimensions obtained were strongly correlated with breathiness, roughness, and strain, commonly assessed in adult dysphonia. Roughness and strain strongly characterized the perceptual dimension distinguishing the two vibratory sources. CONCLUSION: The perceptual organization of pediatric dysphonia shares similarities with adults, and perceptual features related to roughness and strain characterize SGVSs.

Source: Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research

DOI: 10.1044/2025_jslhr-25-00260