Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Behavioral Voice Therapy for Dysphonia Related to Prematurity of Birth
Victoria Reynolds1, Suzanne Meldrum2, Karen Simmer3
1Centre for Neonatal Research and Education, School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Insights
Voice therapy may help school-aged children with dysphonia resulting from prematurity. While initial results were mixed, pooled data showed reduced dysphonia severity after intervention, suggesting potential benefits for preterm children with voice issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Dysphonia is a common complication in very preterm (VP) children, often stemming from neonatal medical interventions and leading to maladaptive voicing behaviors.
- This condition can impact communication and quality of life for affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy of a voice therapy protocol in improving voice quality among school-aged very preterm children with dysphonia.
- To explore the potential for spontaneous recovery versus response to intervention.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 27 VP children with dysphonia, randomized into immediate and delayed intervention groups.
- Voice quality was evaluated using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) before and after treatment.
- A secondary analysis pooled data from all participants who received intervention.
Main Results:
- The immediate intervention group did not show statistically significant voice quality improvements.
- A significant improvement in voice quality was observed in the delayed-intervention (control) group (P=0.026).
- Pooled analysis of all intervention participants revealed a significant reduction in dysphonia severity (P=0.026).
Conclusions:
- Dysphonia appears persistent in most very preterm children studied.
- Some children experienced spontaneous voice improvement, while others responded to behavioral voice intervention.
- Further research is required to identify factors influencing intervention success and predict spontaneous recovery.
Objectives:
Dysphonia is a potential complication of prematurity. Preterm children may sustain iatrogenic laryngeal damage from medical intervention in the neonatal period, and further, adopt compensatory, maladaptive voicing behaviors. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of a voice therapy protocol on voice quality in school-aged, very preterm (VP) children.
Methods:
Twenty-seven VP children with dysphonia were randomized to an immediate intervention group (n = 7) or a delayed-intervention, waiting list control group (n = 14). Following analysis of these data, a secondary analysis was conducted on the pooled intervention data (n = 21). Six participants did not complete the trial.
Results:
Change to voice quality was measured via pre- and posttreatment assessments using the Consensus Auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice. The intervention group did not demonstrate statistically significant improvements in voice quality, whereas this was observed in the control group (P = 0.026). However, when intervention data were pooled including both the immediate and delayed groups following intervention, dysphonia severity was significantly lower (P = 0.026) in the treatment group.
Conclusions:
Dysphonia in most VP children in this cohort was persistent. These pilot data indicate that some participants experienced acceptable voice outcomes on spontaneous recovery, whereas others demonstrated a response to behavioral intervention. Further research is needed to identify the facilitators of and barriers to intervention success, and to predict those who may experience spontaneous recovery.
