Play-Based Strategies for Speech Therapy and Vocal Health Face-to-Face and Distance Learning Actions for Children Distance Learning Actions for Children: An Integrative Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: Diversifying voice therapy strategies is critical to get children and adolescents to adhere to the therapeutic process. PURPOSE: To investigate the face-to-face and distance playful strategies have been used for vocal health education and voice therapy in children and adolescents. METHODS: An integrative literature review was carried out based on the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA). A search for full texts was conducted on the Virtual Health Library, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO) and PuBMed databases using the following descriptors, and their corresponding Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): voice (voz); voice quality (qualidade da voz); dysphonia (disfonia); voice disorders (distúrbios da fala); voice training (treinamento da voz); telemedicine (telemedicina); therapeutics (terapêutica); health promotion (promoção da saúde); group practice (prática de grupo); recreation therapy (terapia recreacional); child (criança); preschool (pré-escolar) and adolescent (adolescente). RESULTS: After full reading of the studies, 15 articles were included and categorized into the following topics: face-to-face and distance playful strategies for voice therapy in children; playful strategies with gamification for education and for voice therapy in children; and vocal health educational actions in children. CONCLUSION: The study found a higher number of studies that carried out educational actions and playful strategies, while fewer studies were related to the production of materials, gamification and online services for voice therapy in children. Given the proven benefits of this strategy for children, further studies focusing on the development and application of playful strategies, such as the use of gamification, should be conducted in order to stimulate the skills and adherence of this population to therapy.

The Effect of a Voice Therapy Program Based on the Taxonomy of Vocal Therapy in Women with Behavioral Dysphonia.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to propose and analyze the effect of a voice therapy program (VTP) in women with behavioral dysphonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a controlled, blinded, and nonrandomized cohort study. Participants of this study were 22 women with behavioral dysphonia divided into two groups: G1, 11 women with behavioral dysphonia who received the VTP, and G2, 11 women with behavioral dysphonia who did not receive any intervention. Before and after 6 weeks, the outcome variables evaluated in both groups were auditory-perceptual evaluation of the global degree of vocal quality (vowel /a/ and counting), instrumental acoustic parameters, Voice-Related Quality of Life, vocal and larynx symptoms, and musculoskeletal pain. The statistical analysis used the Wilcoxon, chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests (P < 0.05). RESULTS: After 6 weeks, we observed a significantly higher improvement in the general degree of vocal deviation in vowels, a reduced F0 and symptom of "fatigue while talking" in G1, and an increased "shoulder" pain intensity in G2. Both groups showed improvement in the socioemotional domain of Voice-Related Quality of Life. In addition, the comparison between the groups showed a significantly greater reduction in fundamental frequency and the "voice loss" symptom in G1 compared with G2. CONCLUSIONS: The VTP using semioccluded vocal tract exercises obtained a positive effect on voice quality, symptoms, and musculoskeletal pain in women with behavioral dysphonia. The proposal, based on the taxonomy of voice therapy, seems to have promoted a phonatory balance, muscle relaxation, and improvement in the vocal resistance of this population.