We’ll Help Your Child Find Their Voice
Children use their voices to connect with loved ones, participate in classroom discussions, and engage in extracurricular activities. A voice disorder occurs when there are issues with voice quality, pitch, or sound. At ENT for Children, we offer diagnosis and treatment to help our young patients speak or sing with ease.
Does My Child Have a Voice Disorder?
Symptoms of vocal damage include a hoarse, raspy, or weak voice; decreased range in pitch, volume, and projection; vocal fatigue; shortness of breath; coughing; sore throat; chronic throat clearing; and losing your child’s voice.
Common Voice Disorders in Children
- Hoarseness
- Voice Problems (Dysphonia)
- Phonotrauma
- Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) / Nasal Emissions
- Vocal Cord Dysfunction
- Vocal Cord Paralysis (VCP)
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP)
How Are Voice Disorders Diagnosed?
Office Laryngoscopy
An office laryngoscopy is a visual examination of the area at the back of your child’s throat or the surrounding region where the voice box is located. ENT for Children might recommend a laryngoscopy for a child who exhibits the following symptoms:
- Breathing difficulties or noisy breathing
- Voice problems
- Narrowing of the nose or throat
- Difficulty swallowing
The main goal of an office laryngoscopy is to find out why your child has certain symptoms. Performed at one of our ENT for Children clinics, your child’s pediatric ENT will do the procedure by inserting a flexible fiberoptic laryngoscope, a thin tube with a camera at the end, into your child’s nose and down to the back of the throat. The live video images are shown on monitors so you and your child can see.
The procedure usually only takes a few minutes. ENT for Children will make the experience engaging for both of you. We will also put a flavored topical medicine to decongest and numb the nasal passages, since this can be the most irritating part of the endoscopy.
Office Videostroboscopy
A child or teenager might have issues with their voice or vocal cords. In such cases, your child’s ENT for Children specialist will suggest a videostroboscopy to assess the function of your child’s or teen’s vocal cords and voice. This office procedure was once only used for adults; however, our advanced technology now enables us to examine the vocal cords of children with this technique right in the office.
The procedure employs a similarly designed but more advanced thin, flexible laryngoscope. A flavored topical anesthetic and decongestant are sprayed into the nasal passages. Your child is seated on the caregiver’s lap or alone if they are older. Voice analysis and recording microphones are then attached to the patient’s shirt. The thin, flexible scope is inserted into the nose and guided to the throat to observe the vocal cords. We will then have the child speak and repeat specific phrases or tones.
Compassionate Treatment for Voice Disorders
Some voice disorders can be treated with medication or speech therapy, but others like vocal cord lesions may require surgery. No matter what treatment your child may need, ENT for Children will be here to guide your family through the process.
Call ENT for Children for more information or to schedule an appointment.