Abstract
Voice problems in children can occur as early as infancy. Early onset of voice problems
can carry social and academic penalties, and negatively affect voice in adolescence
or adulthood. Unfortunately, only 1% of school-aged children receive voice therapy
despite a 6 to 24% prevalence of voice disorders in school-aged children. One alternative
may be to use a classroom-based voice education curriculum to effectively reduce yelling
frequency, the most common behavior associated with phonotrauma-related voice problems
in children. A classroom-based voice education curriculum was administered to preschool
children by the preschool speech-language pathologists in a university-affiliated
program. Classroom teachers provided cueing and reinforcement of curriculum strategies
for 8 weeks following the program. Baseline frequencies of participant yelling behaviors
were compared with postprogram frequencies. Results demonstrated significant reduction
in yelling frequencies from pre- to postprogram, particularly in those judged as high-frequency
yellers prior to the program. Important factors for future consideration are discussed.
Keywords
Pediatric - voice - education - prevention - preschool
