Do you feel like your child has a louder voice than normal and/or maybe a little raspy? If so these are just a couple of signs that your child may have a voice disorder. A voice disorder is a fairly common occurrence especially in kids but it is still not okay. It is a disorder that should be addressed and treated by a professional. A voice disorder, especially in a child, can get worse and worse over time and that is why it is pertinent you see an ENT doctor as soon as possible.
Voice Disorder Definition: A voice disorder is a general term that is used to explain a plethora of voice problems. The sound of your voice could hold the secrets to particular disorders and can be diagnosed by a professional. A recent study found over one million children across the United States have a voice disorder.
Voice Disorder Causes: The majority of voice disorders come from children that have been straining their voices. It could be from yelling too often or from screaming. Another reason you could develop a voice disorder is from talking too loud or even talking too softly. Talking too soft can put just as much strain on your voice than screaming can. You can get a voice strain and disorder when you talk over a lot of background noise or you can even develop problems from clearing your throat too often.
What Makes a Voice Disorder a Problem: A voice disorder is a problem for children for many different reasons. If you want your child to do well in singing or acting it will cause a serious problem. If can also negatively affect your child’s communication with peers and teachers. If your child does not have good self-esteem it can make it worse when they have to participate in class presentations etc. Voice disorders that are left untreated can end up causing nodes on the vocal chords. That will then lead to a potential surgery. The child will have a hoarse sounding voice.
How to Know if Your Child Has a Voice Disorder: There are some signs you can look for to determine if your child has a voice disorder. If your child sounds like they are straining to speak at a normal tone they may have a problem. If your child seems to have always had a raspy sounding voice they could have a voice disorder. If your child seems to suffer from a scratchy voice even after the cold has passed, this could indicate a voice problem.
There are many signs that a child could have a voice disorder. If you suspect your child has a voice disorder it is best to call an ENT to have your child looked at by a professional. ENT Specialists offers many voice related services to diagnose and treat voice disorders.
