Summary: | 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. KEYWORDS: Childhood voice, Normative values, Computerized acoustic vocal analysis
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