Voice Lab Assignment Five

CODI 504 VOICE DISORDERS
Assignment Five Due Friday Nov 1 by 2:00 pm

Your last assignment to complete in the Voice Lab is to assess respiratory/phonatory control by making several durational measurements. You will need a stopwatch and a spirometer. We have 3 or 4 spirometers so that several groups could work on this assignment during the same time period. Two spirometers are located in the closet in the Speech Science Lab & the others can be checked out from the diagnostic closet. I do have 2 stop watches that can be borrowed, but I recommend that you purchase your own. You will need these for diagnostics and in some therapy situations.

1. Measure you partner's vital capacity using the dry spirometer. Follow the suggestions given on pg 125 and in class to assure maximum performance. Use at least 3 trials and report the best score. Remember on maximum performance tasks such as these, we want the client's best performance - not an average. Based on your partner's age and height (converted to cm), determine predicted VC. How closely does actual measured VC compare to predicted? to data from normal voice subjects?

2. Next, you are going to measure maximum phonation time (MPT), also called maximum phonation duration (MPD) in some sources. Follow the same guidelines as above. It is useful to give verbal encouragement to assure maximum performance. Again take at least 3 trials and record the best time. Using the VC measurement from above, determine predicted maximum phonation time (PMPT) for your partner. Divide actual MPT by PMPT to determine the ratio. How does your partner compare to normative data?

3. S/Z ratio is next. Again three trials and take the longest duration /s/ and the longest /z/. Divide your /s/ duration by the duration for /z/ to determine the s/z ratio. Follow the elicitation procedure on page 136. Note that you will have your client sustain an /s/, followed by a /z/, and then back to /s/, and so on. Report both the durations for /s/ and /z/ as well as the ratio. Do each of these measures fall within normal limits?

4. That's all the measuring you will need to do. Use the formula on pg 140 to calculate PQ . Use the formula on the handout on airflow on my website to calculate EMFR. How well do these measurements compare to normative data?

5. Interpretation of durational measures and air flow estimates.

Give possible explanations for significant reductions in vital capacity.
MPT is lowered than expected for a patient's age and gender. What are possible explanations for this finding?
MPT is extremely long i.e. well above the expected ranges. Should we be concerned or is longer always better?
The s/z ratio for an adult female patient is 2.0 with a MPT for /s/ of 28 sec and a MPT for /z/ of 14 sec. MPT for /a/ was comparable to the /z/. What would your interpretation be of these results.
The s/z ratio is 1.0 with MPT for /s/ & /z/ of 6 seconds.
What type of disorders might be expected to produce elevated PQ and EMFR? What disorders would produce the opposite results?

6. List the pros and cons for the use of maximum performance tests in assessment of voice.