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Advanced Voice Analysis

Code: 106736 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500893 Speech therapy OT 4

Contact

Name:
Neus Calaf Gozalo
Email:
neus.calaf@uab.cat

Teachers

(External) Neus Calaf

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Basic training in voice therapy and in acoustic analysis.


Objectives and Contextualisation

Advanced Voice Analysis is the specialized elective subject in voice therapy.

The overall objective of this subject is to acquire specialized skills in voice assessment, providing advanced training for future speech therapists or voice researchers.

Students will have the opportunity to experiment practically with the integrated use of auditory-perceptual evaluation and acoustic analysis, leading to more reliable assessments. This integration validates and resolves uncertainties arising from the limitations of each approach when used separately.
 
In particular, students will be able to:
  • Understand their own voice as a starting point to understand the voices of the individuals they serve, gaining in-depth knowledge of the auditory-perceptual and acoustic nature of the voice. This includes understanding the different qualities associated with a healthy and efficient voice, as well as the vocal qualities associated with vocal disorders and pathology.
  • Understand the changes that occur in their own voice and the voices of their peers after practicing speech therapy exercises, which will become part of their professional resources.
  • Gain hands-on experience in voice assessment using advanced tools and practice the complete process of integrated auditory-perceptual and acoustic evaluation through real cases, acquiring advanced professional competencies.
  • Generate detailed voice therapy reports and discuss the most appropriate intervention strategies for each case.

Competences

  • Analyse and synthesise information.
  • Critically evaluate the techniques and instruments of evaluation and diagnosis in speech therapy, as well as its procedures of intervention.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of disorders in communication, language, speech, hearing, voice and non-verbal oral functions.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Understand, interpret and express orally and in writing, in a foreign language, contents within the ambit of health.
  • Use the exploratory techniques and instruments pertaining to the profession, and register, synthesise and interpret the data provided by integrating this into an overall information set.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse a situation and identify points for improvement.
  2. Analyse and synthesise.
  3. Communicate in an inclusive manner avoiding the use of sexist or discriminatory language.
  4. Describe the characteristics of normal and pathological voice.
  5. Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
  6. Interpret data provided by the objective measurement techniques of voice in order to produce a diagnosis.
  7. Justify the usefulness of objective voice-measuring methods
  8. Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
  9. Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  10. Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  11. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  12. Understand, interpret and express orally and in writing, in a foreign language, contents within the ambit of health.
  13. Use the techniques of objective measurement for voice: recording and the analysis of glottal sound, strobe, inverse filtering, electroglottography, deep-zymography laryngoscopic analysis, Fourier transformation, etc.

Content

1. An overview of voice evaluation

  • Perceptual (subjective) evaluation of voice
    • Auditory Scene Analysis (ASA)
    • Gold standard test for perceptual voice evaluation: CAPE-V
    • Limitations of pure perceptual evaluation: illusions, confusions, interferences, presbyacusis
  • Acoustic (objective) analysis of voice
    • Acoustic tools for voice analysis
    • How does acoustic analysis solve cases that the trained ear cannot
    • Limitations of acoustic analysis
  • An integrated protocol for voice evaluation

2. Training of the Auditive Scene Analysis Competences (ASA), and integrated evaluation:

  • Intensity vs loudness
  • Resonated voice
  • Roughness; roughness types I, II, III
  • Breathiness
  • Strain
  • Hypernasality
  • Vocal attacks
  • Instabilities
  • Strategies to increase voice efficiency

3. Voice assessment in professional practice

  • Contributions to the voice therapy report
  • Objectives and strategies for voice therapy intervention
  • Voice research

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classes (see description) 36 1.44 2, 1, 7, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13
Type: Supervised      
Tutorial meetings 3 0.12 2, 12, 3, 5, 6, 11, 10, 9
Type: Autonomous      
Critical reading of articles, book chapters; critical visualisation of online resources 18 0.72 2, 11, 10
Practical exercises 25 1 2, 1, 7, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13
Preparation of learning evidences 7 0.28 2, 1, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Study 50 2 2, 1, 7, 12, 4, 6, 11, 10, 9, 13

Classes include presentations and demos by the instructor and in-class work by the students, involving peer instruction, group discussion, and practical analysis work.

All sessions integrate theoretical and practical learning, there are no specific theory or practical classes. The course is essentially practical, as it is aimed at conferring competences, a reasonable amount of experience, and self-confidence as a potential voice therapist. The student will be the center of her/his own learning process. Understanding one's own voice as starting point to understand the users' voices.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Evidence 1 - Continuous evaluation exercises 15% 7 0.28 2, 1, 7, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13
Evidence 2 - Half-term test 35% 2 0.08 2, 1, 7, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13
Evidence 3 - Final test 50% 2 0.08 2, 1, 7, 12, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 10, 9, 13

Continued assessment: that is not (only) a fractionated evaluation but a strategy for the student and the instructor to assess learning progression, and to identify areas that require strengthening. Each and every evaluation is part of the learning process. The instructor provides feedback for all the evidences.

  • Evidence 1 - Continuous evaluation exercises, individual, written, online, short practical exercises to evaluate specific competences, progression, and to identify weaknesses that must be addressed.
  • Evidence 2 - Individual, mid-term, in-class, written, practical test to evaluate the progress in the acquisition of competences. First evaluations week.
  • Evidence 3 - Individual, final, in-class, written, practical test to evaluate all the course competences in an integrated manner. Analysis of one or more cases. Final evaluations week.

Definition of passed course: both EV3 and the global average of EV1,2,3 reached a mark equal or higher than 5.0 out of 10.

Referral evaluation: according to UAB rules, students who fail the course after handing in evaluations amounting to at least 2/3 of the global grade (irrespective of passing or failing them), will qualify to take a referral test. In this course, a final test equivalent to EV3 will take place during the referral evaluations week. To pass the course, a mark equal or higher than 5.0 must be achieved in the referral evaluation.

Condition tobe considered non-assessable: according to UAB rules, having handed in evaluations amounting to less than 40% of the global grade, irrespectiveof passing or failing them.

Misconduct: according to UAB rules, students who cheat or copy in an exam once, or plagiarize an assignment once, will get a 0.0 in that test. If misconduct occurs more than once during the course, the final mark will be 0.0.

Single assessment: this subject does not consider single assessment.

Translation of the on-site assessment tests: the provision of the translation of the on-site assessment tests will be carried out if the requirements established in article 263 are met and the request is made in week 4 electronically (e-form) (more information on the Faculty's website).

Regulations that apply: https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html.

 


Bibliography

Bozeman, Kenneth W. (2013). Practical vocal acoustics. Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2013).

Calaf, N., & Garcia-Quintana, D. (2024). Development and Validation of the Bilingual Catalan/Spanish Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67(4), 1072-1089. doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00536.

Estella P.-M. Ma; Edwin M.-L. Yiu (2011). Handbook of voice assessments. Plural Publishing.
 
Kempster, G. B., Gerratt, B. R., Verdolini Abbott, K., Barkmeier-Kraemer, J., & Hillman, R. E. (2009). Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice: Development of a Standardized Clinical Protocol. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18(2), 124-132. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2008/08-0017).
 

Software

Boersma, Paul & Weenink, David (2024). Praat: doing phonetics by computer [Computer program]. Version 6.4.13, retrieved 10 June 2024 from http://www.praat.org/

Calaf, Neus. (2024). All-Voiced [Web application]. Available from https://www.all-voiced.com/


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 11 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed