Effectiveness of vocal hygiene education with resonant voice therapy on school-aged children with vocal fold nodules : a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of vocal hygiene education with resonant voice therapy on school-aged children with vocal fold nodules in Hong Kong. Thirty-four children (18 males and 16 females) aged between 6-12 years with vocal fold nodules were randomly assigned to three groups: treatment group, placebo group and control group. Treatment group (N = 21) received six consecutive weekly one-hour sessions of vocal hygiene education with resonant voice therapy. Placebo group (N = 6) received six consecutive weekly one-hour therapy sessions on presentation skills and reading aloud skills. Control group (N = 7) did not receive any form of treatment. Acoustic analysis, auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice quality and voice-related quality of life questionnaire, were used as outcome measures. Results revealed there was no significant improvement on acoustic analysis or auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice quality. However, significant improvement was found in parent-proxy voice-related quality of life measurements and parent-perceived severity of voice quality in all participants after six weeks.