Oral and Vocal Fold Diadochokinesis in Children

Aim: To establish reference values concerning the results of oral and vocal fold diadochokinesis (DDK) assessment, as well as to analyze the differences among gender and age. Methods: One hundred and fifty Brazilian-Portuguese-speaking children from 8 to 10 years old were assessed. The DDK was assessed through the repetition of ‘pa’, ‘ta’, ‘ka’, ‘pataka’, ‘a’ and ‘i’. Results: As age increased there was a rise in the average DDK rate, a rise in the coefficient of variation of period for syllable ‘ka’ and a rise in the coefficient of variation of the peak intensity for the syllable ‘ta’. The number of utterances per second of ‘ta’ was higher for girls than for boys. In trisyllables, 8-year-old girls presented a lower number of utterances than the other subgroups. As age increased, there was a rise in the average DDK rate of the vowel ‘i’ for girls; there was also a smaller standard deviation and perturbations of the period for this same vowel. Conclusion: Oral and vocal fold DDK reference values were established and differences as to gender and age were observed.