The normative study of acoustic parameters in normal Egyptian children aged 4–12 years

The study of normative data of childhood voice is very important to aid in the identification of pathological voices in this age group. Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish a database of the normal acoustic parameters in children aged 4–12 years. Methods: The study was carried out at the Unit of Phoniatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria Main University Hospital, on one hundred normal children of both sexes aged from 4 to 12 years, all children were subjected to computerized acoustic analysis using Multidimensional voice program software. The vocal samples were obtained from the children by holding a microphone 10 cm in front of their mouth and producing sustained phonation. The analyses of the vocal parameters were carried out with the sustained/a/vowel, with elimination of the irregularities in the beginning and end of utterance .The studied acoustic parameters were the fundamental frequency, shimmer and jitter disturbance measures, and the harmonic/noise ratios. A full informed consent was taken from all subjects contributing to the study. Results: The mean Fundamental frequency was around 260.46 Hz. Jitter and jitter % were around 81.8% and 1.9% in boys and 62.8% and 1.6% in girls. Conclusion: The inclusion of computerized acoustic analyses makes the vocal assessment more accurate and less subjective, thus representing an important tool for vocal screening, for it is a simple, fast and reliable method. To construct a representative database of normal children, we recommend the recruitment of large number of subjects, inclusion of younger age group, and covering other acoustic parameters.