What is dysphonia?
Etymologically, dysphonia means “difficulty of the voice” (from the Greek dys: difficulty; phonia: voice).
It is therefore an objective and/or subjective alteration of the voice as the sound medium of speech. Dysphonia can be an isolated or combined impairment of the voice’s acoustic parameters, namely pitch (a voice higher or lower than normal), intensity, or timbre (the voice’s tone quality).
There are two types of dysphonia. Either it is functional, due to poor use of the voice, or it is organic, with visible lesions (nodules, polyps, etc.). These two types of dysphonia can occur together (poor use of the voice can cause lesions, so the dysphonia will be both functional and organic).
Care for dysphonia often consists of an ENT assessment (to identify the type of dysphonia) followed by speech therapy. If needed, it is also possible to see a phoniatrician for a more in-depth diagnosis.
Symptoms may include hoarseness in the voice, breathiness, pain when speaking, or an inability to produce the voice the way one would like… These symptoms vary depending on the cause of the dysphonia.
What causes it?
There are many possible causes of dysphonia. In functional dysphonia, the disorder comes from poor use of the voice (called vocal hygiene). It is common in children or in people whose job requires heavy use of the voice, such as teachers or public speakers. It can also be found in people with excessive cigarette consumption (which will eventually also cause organic disorders). For neurological dysphonia, vocal difficulties stem from a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease. Causes can also be psychological, due to a malformation, or follow laryngeal surgery…
How do you know if you’re affected?
If you feel pain when speaking, if your voice is hoarse, if you can’t raise your voice, or on the contrary can’t speak softly, you may be affected by what is described above. If that’s the case, I recommend seeing an ENT specialist. They will check the condition of your vocal cords and your ears. If they find evidence of dysphonia such as inflammation of the vocal cords, nodules, polyps, or other issues, they will refer you to a speech therapist.
How does treatment work?
Since voice is a vital means of communication, its rehabilitation naturally falls to the speech therapist (a communication clinician).
All rehabilitation begins with an assessment to understand the symptoms of your dysphonia, based on the ENT’s observations and how you experience it.
Following this assessment, short- and long-term work goals will be set, to be achieved over a set number of sessions determined by the speech therapist.
Vocal rehabilitation is unique in speech therapy work, because very good results are very often achieved in a minimal number of sessions. In addition, remote work is possible and easier than with other disorders that require hands-on manipulation.
That’s why I decided to practise on the ORA platform.
For more information about the voice and speech therapy, you can visit my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDQ_gA9OL9kC1BmUxU3KkA) or contact me through the ORA platform.
