Listeners’ perceptions toward children with communication disorders as well as the interpersonal experience of these children have been studied extensively by speech and language field and psychology field in the western countries. However, little is known about peers’ attitudes and social acceptance toward children with voice problems in the Chinese population. The current study examined the attitudes of peers and teachers toward children with different severity levels of voice problems; and evaluated how such attitudes could impact on the social acceptance of these children. Specifically, peer acceptance and teacher preference were investigated. Eighteen speakers (nine children with voice problems and nine vocally healthy children as controls) and 60 listeners (30 children and 30 teachers) participated in the study. Listeners were asked to provide attitude and acceptance ratings after listening to the voice samples of the speakers. For both groups of listeners, children with dysphonic voices were given significantly lower scores (i.e., less favorable) than children with normal voices in all the attitude ratings and acceptance ratings (both groups ps < .001). Moreover, the more severe the voice problems, the less positive the attitude and acceptance ratings the speakers received from the listeners. The attitude ratings and acceptance ratings made by the children listeners and teacher listeners did not differ significantly from each other (ps > .05). The results suggested that children with dysphonic voices were not only perceived less favorably on all attitude ratings than children with normal voices. They were also less socially accepted by peers and teachers. These findings provided valuable information and insights to the parents, educators, and speech-language pathologists on the potential impacts of pediatric voice disorders on listeners’ perception and children’s interpersonal experience. / published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Philosophy

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / "A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 29-30). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2003. / Includes bibliography.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-13T14:50:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-08-08Bitstream added on 2014-08-13T18:00:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000758071.pdf: 2167961 bytes, checksum: 9d3f894a2590620cac068aa44611057e (MD5) / Nódulos vocais são as principais causas de disfonias infantis. As análises vocais perceptivo-auditivas e acústicas têm sido utilizadas para diferenciar as vozes de crianças com nódulos, de vozes normais. Determinar os parâmetros vocais perceptivo-auditivos e acústicos em crianças de quatro a 11 anos com diagnóstico de nódulos vocais. Realizado estudo comparativo que incluiu 100 crianças de quatro a 11 anos, com diagnóstico videolaringoscópico de nódulos vocais (grupo nódulos-GN) e 100 crianças da mesma faixa etária, sem sintomas vocais e com exames de videolaringoscopia normais (grupo controle-GC). Todas foram submetidas às análises vocais perceptivo-auditivas (escala GRBASI), ao cálculo do Tempo Máximo de Fonação e da relação s/z e à análise vocal acústica (programa MDVP). Crianças com nódulos vocais (GN) apresentaram valores menores do TMF, especialmente para os fonemas /z/ e /a/ (p<0,05). O TMF aumentou com a idade em ambos os grupos e a relação /s/z não se deferiu. As avaliações perceptivoauditivas indicaram maior comprometimento nas crianças do grupo nódulos do que do controle, nos parâmetros: G (79 versus 24), R (53 versus 3), B (67 versus 23) e Strain (35 versus 1). As medidas acústicas Jitter, Pich Perturbation Quotient (PPQ), Shimmer, Amplitude Perturbation Quotient (APQ), Noise Harmonic Ratio (NHR) e Soft Phonation Index (SPI) mostraram-se mais elevados no grupo nódulos. O parâmetro f0 não diferiu entre os grupos. Os parâmetros vocais Tempo Máximo de Fonação (TMF), perceptivoauditivos (GRBS) e acústicos (Jitter, PPQ, Shimmer, APQ, NHR e SPI) mostraram-se mais comprometidos nas crianças com nódulos, sendo importantes métodos de avaliação nas disfonias infantis. Os valores de f0 não se diferiram entre os grupos / Vocal nodules constitute the major causes of dysphonia during childhood. Auditoryperceptual and acoustic vocal analyses have been used to differentiate voice with nodules from normal voice in children. To study the value of auditory-perceptual and acoustic vocal analyses in assessments of children with nodules. A comparative study was carried out including 100 children aged between 4 and 11 years, with videolaryngoscopic diagnosis of vocal nodules (nodule group), and 100 children within the same age range, without vocal symptoms and with normal videolaryngoscopic exams (control group). All children were subjected to auditory-perceptual vocal analyses (GRBASI scale), calculation of Maximum Phonation Time and s/z ratio, and acoustic vocal analysis (MDVP software). There was no difference in the values of maximum phonation time and s/z ratio between groups. Auditory-perceptual analysis indicated greater compromising of voice parameters for the nodule than for the control group: G (79 versus 24), R (53 versus 3), B (67 versus 23) and S (35 versus 1). The acoustic parameters jitter, PPQ, shimmer, APQ, NHR and SPI showed higher values in the nodule than in the control group. The parameter f0 did not differ between groups. Auditory-perceptual (G, R, B and S) and acoustic vocal parameters (jitter, PPQ, shimmer, APQ, NHR and SPI) were more compromised for children with nodules than for those of the control group, constituting important methods for assessing child dysphonia

Orientador: Regina Helena Garcia Martins / Resumo: Nódulos vocais são as principais causas de disfonias infantis. As análises vocais perceptivo-auditivas e acústicas têm sido utilizadas para diferenciar as vozes de crianças com nódulos, de vozes normais. Determinar os parâmetros vocais perceptivo-auditivos e acústicos em crianças de quatro a 11 anos com diagnóstico de nódulos vocais. Realizado estudo comparativo que incluiu 100 crianças de quatro a 11 anos, com diagnóstico videolaringoscópico de nódulos vocais (grupo nódulos-GN) e 100 crianças da mesma faixa etária, sem sintomas vocais e com exames de videolaringoscopia normais (grupo controle-GC). Todas foram submetidas às análises vocais perceptivo-auditivas (escala GRBASI), ao cálculo do Tempo Máximo de Fonação e da relação s/z e à análise vocal acústica (programa MDVP). Crianças com nódulos vocais (GN) apresentaram valores menores do TMF, especialmente para os fonemas /z/ e /a/ (p<0,05). O TMF aumentou com a idade em ambos os grupos e a relação /s/z não se deferiu. As avaliações perceptivoauditivas indicaram maior comprometimento nas crianças do grupo nódulos do que do controle, nos parâmetros: G (79 versus 24), R (53 versus 3), B (67 versus 23) e Strain (35 versus 1). As medidas acústicas Jitter, Pich Perturbation Quotient (PPQ), Shimmer, Amplitude Perturbation Quotient (APQ), Noise Harmonic Ratio (NHR) e Soft Phonation Index (SPI) mostraram-se mais elevados no grupo nódulos. O parâmetro f0 não diferiu entre os grupos. Os parâmetros vocais Tempo Máximo de Fonação (TMF), perceptivoauditivos (GRBS) e acústicos (Jitter, PPQ, Shimmer, APQ, NHR e SPI) mostraram-se mais comprometidos nas crianças com nódulos, sendo importantes métodos de avaliação nas disfonias infantis. Os valores de f0 não se diferiram entre os grupos / Abstract: Vocal nodules constitute the major causes of dysphonia during childhood. Auditoryperceptual and acoustic vocal analyses have been used to differentiate voice with nodules from normal voice in children. To study the value of auditory-perceptual and acoustic vocal analyses in assessments of children with nodules. A comparative study was carried out including 100 children aged between 4 and 11 years, with videolaryngoscopic diagnosis of vocal nodules (nodule group), and 100 children within the same age range, without vocal symptoms and with normal videolaryngoscopic exams (control group). All children were subjected to auditory-perceptual vocal analyses (GRBASI scale), calculation of Maximum Phonation Time and s/z ratio, and acoustic vocal analysis (MDVP software). There was no difference in the values of maximum phonation time and s/z ratio between groups. Auditory-perceptual analysis indicated greater compromising of voice parameters for the nodule than for the control group: G (79 versus 24), R (53 versus 3), B (67 versus 23) and S (35 versus 1). The acoustic parameters jitter, PPQ, shimmer, APQ, NHR and SPI showed higher values in the nodule than in the control group. The parameter f0 did not differ between groups. Auditory-perceptual (G, R, B and S) and acoustic vocal parameters (jitter, PPQ, shimmer, APQ, NHR and SPI) were more compromised for children with nodules than for those of the control group, constituting important methods for assessing child dysphonia / Mestre