Voice disorders

The human voice provides the basic sound for speech and singing. It expresses much of the meaning of

what we want to say. Our voice tells other people a lot about our emotions, personality and physical and

emotional health.

Children or adults may have a voice problem when they experience:

  • A hoarse, husky, croaky, strained, strangled or shaky voice

  • A voice that is too soft to be heard easily

  • A voice that doesn’t carry well over background noise or across large distances

  • A voice that sounds higher or lower in pitch than the voices of other people of the same age and gender

  • A voice that doesn’t have its usual variation and flexibility in pitch and loudness

  • A feeling of a tired voice after talking

  • A feeling that it is an effort to use their voice

  • A tight, scratchy, dry, uncomfortable or sore throat during and/or after talking

  • A need to cough or clear the throat during and/or after talking

Any of these symptoms can happen when the vocal folds (vocal cords) in the larynx (voice box) are not working effectively. These symptoms may be seen along with an abnormality in the larynx (e.g. swelling, inflammation, bleeding, fungal infection or tumour, paralysis of the vocal folds, tremor (shaking) of the larynx and/or vocal folds, or spasm of the vocal folds). In many cases, there may not be any obvious problem and muscle tightness will be the only visible sign of the voice problem.

Getting help

If you have any of the symptoms listed above for more than seven days, ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist voice clinic where you can see both a speech pathologist and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist. If you don’t have access to a voice clinic, you can ask your doctor to refer you to an ENT specialist who is experienced in diagnosing voice problems.

In some cases, the speech pathologist or ENT specialist will recommend that you see other health professionals (e.g. physiotherapist, gastroenterologist, respiratory physician, neurologist, psychologist, singing teacher or voice coach).

These facts are for educational purposes only. Please consult with your GP or other health professionals to make sure any information you read is right for your child.