This article presents an overview of information on the development of voice, based on a detailed analysis of the literature. The data demonstrate voice abnormalities in individuals with hearing impairment as compared to individuals with normal hearing. Many researchers believe that the main factor leading to voice abnormalities among hearing-impaired individuals is incorrect auditory feedback resulting from higher hearing thresholds. This lack of feedback leads to abnormal encoding of neuronal patterns in cortical regions of the brain, which results in a disrupted control of internal and external laryngeal muscles.

Elevated hearing thresholds cause disturbances in auditory control of voice. This leads to voice disorders that are described by changes in acoustic parameters of voice measured objectively. Voice changes can also be detected by perceptive assessment with GRBAS scale. This article presents the results of the study performed to analyze voice characteristics in a group of children with prelingual partial deafness (PD), a condition with normal hearing at low frequencies and deep hypoacusis (near deafness) at high frequencies. Voice disorders accompanying PD were not a subject of the intensive study before, therefore our study provides valuable data and help to understand more complex clinical aspects of PD. The study showed that voice characteristics in children with PD differs from children with normal hearing and shows some differences compared to voice of children with other types of hearing impairment. Major changes in PD are seen in frequency (F0, vF0), amplitude (vAm, sAPQ), noise (NHR), and tremor (FTRI) parameters. The changes were present in all groups of objective measures, which makes a difference versus normal hearing; however, the most significant changes were seen in a narrower range of parameters compared to children in other types of hearing impairment. Objective parameters correlate with the subjective features of voice of children with PD. With use of GRBAS scale, subjective voice assessment showed elevated indices of grade, roughness, breathy, asthenic, and strained voice, which described slightly harsh, breathy, dull, and a little tensed voice.

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Acoustic analysis of voice enables objective assessment of voice to diagnose changes in voice characteristics, and track the progress of therapy. In contrast to subjective assessment, objective measurements provide mathematical results referring to specific parameters and can be analyzed statistically. Changes in the voice of patients with partial deafness (PD) were not widely described in the literature, and recent studies referred to the voice parameters measured in this group of patients only using the multi-dimensional voice program (MDVP) by Kay Pentax. This paper describes the results of acoustic analysis of voice in patients with PD using VOXplot, and compares the results with those achieved with MDVP. Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was a VOXplot objective analysis of voice in individuals with PD and to assess consistency with results obtained using MDVP and with perceptual assessment. Methods: Voice samples from 22 post-lingual PD individuals were recorded. They included continuous speech (cs) and sustained vowels (sv). The control group consisted of 22 healthy individuals with no history of voice or hearing dysfunction. The samples were analyzed with MDVP followed by VOXplot version 2.0.0 Beta. Statistical analysis was performed using a t-test paired with two samples for means. All individuals were also subjected to a perceptual voice assessment using the GRBAS by Hirano. Results: Differences were observed in 13 VOXplot parameters measured in voice samples of adults with PD compared with those in the control group. Both multiparametric indices, AVQI and ABI, showed a statistical increase. When it comes to MDVP parameters correlating with breathiness, all of them (shim dB, APQ, NHR, SPI, and NSH) increased in patients with partial deafness, reflecting a breathy voice. Only one increase in the SPI was not statistically significant. Seven MDVP parameters correlating with hoarseness were elevated, and five (Jitt%, vF0, Shim dB, APQ, and NHR) showed a statistically significant increase. Correlations were found of VOXplot and MDVP parameters with perceptual voice assessment. Conclusions: Both programs for objective assessment showed voice abnormalities in patients with PD compared with the control groups. There was a poor to moderate level of consistency in the results achieved using both systems. Correlations were also found with GRBAS assessment results.

Background: Vocal fold nodules are a common cause of pediatric dysphonia. The aim of the study was to assess the acoustic structure of the voice in children with vocal fold nodules and investigate the relationship between objective and subjective measures.Material and methods: The study group consisted of 223 children, aged 7 to 12 years with normal hearing. The control group included 213 children. All children underwent ENT and phoniatric examination including laryngovideostroboscopy (LVS), assessment of voice on the GRBAS perceptual scale, and acoustic analysis (spectrographic analysis using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Profile).Results: In children with vocal fold nodules the average perceptual score for their voice was G1R1B0A0S2. No statistically significant effect of the child’s sex or age on the values of the MDVP parameters was found. The acoustic structure of the voice of children with childhood dysphonia and vocal fold nodules differed significantly from the acoustic structure of those in the control group. A relationship between GRBAS features and MDVP analysis was found.Conclusions: Voice acoustic analysis is a valuable tool for assessing voice quality in children. The analysis can identify deviations from normal values that the human ear is unable to pick up.