An Examination of Elicitation Method on Fundamental Frequency and Repeatability of Average Airflow Measures in Children Age 4:0–5:11 Years

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of task type on fundamental frequency ( F0 ) and the short-term repeatability of average airflow values in preschool/kindergarten-age children. Study Design Prospective, experimental. Methods Thirty healthy children (age 4.0–5.11 years) were included in this study. Participants completed three tasks (sustained vowel, counting, and storytelling) used to elicit measurements of F0 . With a 10-minute interval, participants also completed two trials of sustained /a/ at a comfortable pitch and loudness level for the measurement of average airflow rate. F0 and intensity of the vowel production were recorded for both trials. Results A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect for task type elicitation on F0 values ( P = 0.0003). A significant difference between elicitation tasks for F0 was observed in the comparison of the counting and storytelling task ( P < 0.0001). A paired t test revealed no significant difference in average airflow rate across two trials ( P = 0.872). The change in F0 and intensity was measured across the trials, and separate analyses of covariance revealed that these changes did not significantly influence average airflow values, ( P = 0.809) and ( P = 0.365), respectively. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrated that F0 may be influenced by task type in young children. Average airflow values appear to be stable over a short time period. This information is important in determining methods of evaluation and the reliability of instrumental measures in young children with voice disorders.