SLP Instrumentation and Voice Quality

Clinical Benefits of Instrumentation

Aids diagnosis, provides normative data, tracks progress, offers biofeedback, and reduces clinician bias.

Computerized Speech Lab (CSL)

Dedicated hardware and software system by KayPENTAX for precise acoustic speech measurements.

Sona-Speech

A clinical software alternative to CSL that uses a standard computer soundcard instead of dedicated hardware.

Praat

A free software program used for acoustic analysis, displaying waveforms, spectrograms, pitch, intensity, jitter, and shimmer.

Ultrasound in SLP

Imaging technology using high-frequency sound waves to visualize tongue contours for articulation therapy (e.g., /r/).

Electropalatography (EPG)

An articulation therapy tool that measures real-time contact between the tongue and the hard palate.

Nasometer

An instrument measuring nasal resonance and emission, useful in treating cleft palate and velopharyngeal disorders.

SALT vs. SUGAR

SALT is software for analyzing language transcripts; SUGAR is a free alternative for language sample analysis.

AAC Tech Levels

Low-tech (picture boards), mid-tech (simple digitized speech devices), high-tech (symbol apps like Proloquo2Go, text-based systems).

Longitudinal Tension

Tension along vocal fold length between thyroid and arytenoids; higher tension increases fundamental frequency (F0).

Adductive Tension

Force holding arytenoids together via muscle contraction to bring vocal folds into approximation.

Medial Compression

Force squeezing vocal folds against each other, created by lateral cricoarytenoids and thyroarytenoids.

Electroglottography (EGG)

A non-invasive method using laryngeal electrodes to measure electrical conductivity and vocal fold contact during voicing.

VFSS (Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study)

Gold-standard X-ray imaging evaluating all swallowing stages and bolus flow in radiology.

FEES (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing)

Transnasal endoscopic visualization of pharyngeal and laryngeal structures during swallowing, usable at bedside.

Surface Electromyography (sEMG)

Non-invasive tool measuring electrical activity of target muscles during contraction (e.g., swallow therapy).

Breathy Voice Quality

Voice produced with incomplete vocal fold closure, causing escaping air heard as high-frequency noise.

Rough Voice Quality

Voice produced with aperiodic vocal fold vibration, often caused by vocal fold asymmetry or mass.

Hoarse Voice Quality

A voice quality that simultaneously exhibits both breathiness (air escape) and roughness (aperiodicity).

Open Quotient (OQ)

Ratio of glottal open duration to total voicing cycle period, calculated from EGG signals.

Breathy Voice OQ

High open quotient (>0.65) due to prolonged open phases during the vocal cycle.

Creaky Voice (Glottal Fry)

Voice quality characterized by high medial compression, low longitudinal tension, low airflow, and low F0 (

Falsetto Voice

Voice quality produced with extremely high longitudinal tension, high F0, and very thin vocal fold contact.

Maximum Phonation Duration (MPT)

The maximum time a speaker can sustain a vowel ('ah'), assessing breath support and laryngeal valving.

Harmonics-to-Noise Ratio (HNR)

Ratio comparing periodic vocal source energy to extraneous aperiodic noise; higher values indicate better voice quality.

Jitter

Cycle-to-cycle variation in the frequency (period duration) of vocal fold vibration; normal adult threshold is

Shimmer

Cycle-to-cycle variation in the amplitude (loudness) of vocal fold vibration; normal adult threshold is

Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP)

A measure of harmonic regularity capable of evaluating severe dysphonia where jitter/shimmer algorithms fail.

Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP)

CSL module analyzing 30 acoustic parameters from a sustained vowel and comparing them to normative data.

Diadochokinetic (DDK) Rate

Assessment measuring syllable repetition speed and regularity (/pʌtʌkʌ/) to evaluate motor speech coordination.

Quiz Question: sample rate of recording

44,100

CSl

voice, articulation, resonance

fees

swallowing

nason

resonance

ultrasound

articulation