What is Resonance in Speech Therapy?
What this article covers:
Understanding Resonance: Resonance refers to how airflow is shaped as it travels through the oral and nasal cavities during speech, affecting the quality and clarity of the voice. Proper resonance is essential for producing a rich and full voice.
Resoance Disorders: Resonance disorders occur when airflow is improperly directed through the mouth and nose, often due to issues like cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, or neurological conditions. These disorders can lead to hypernasality, hyponasality, and other speech challenges.
Impact on Speech: Resonance disorders can significantly affect voice quality, making speech sound overly nasal or congested, reducing speech intelligibility, and causing issues like weak consonant sounds and abnormal articulation.
Causes of Resonance Disorders: Common causes include Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (VPD), which can be due to incompetence (neurological issues), insufficiency (structural defects like cleft palate), or mislearning (improper speech production).
Resonant Voice Therapy: Speech therapy can help individuals with resonance disorders by improving self-awareness, developing stronger vocal skills, and implementing adaptive strategies like breath control and vocal warm-ups to improve vocal function.
Benefits of Therapy: Speech therapy for resonance disorders aims to improve vocal quality and enhance communication abilities, allowing individuals to achieve their full potential in speech production.
What is Resonance in Speech Therapy?
Resonance is the way airflow is shaped as it travels through the oral and nasal (nose and mouth) cavities for speech production. When speaking, air should flow through the mouth for almost all speech sounds, with the exception of “m”, “n” and “ng.” The back area of the roof of the mouth (known as the soft palate) lifts and moves toward the back of the throat to direct airflow through the mouth. This series of movements effectively closes the opening between the nose and the mouth, which is called the velopharyngeal valve.
Some individuals have a resonance disorder, which is caused by abnormalities in the way that air flows through the oral and nasal passages. Some individuals with resonance disorders speak with an overly nasal-sounding voice, whereas others will speak with a voice that sounds stuffy or blocked.
Resonance disorders can affect voice quality and the intelligibility of speech, often making it difficult for the individual to effectively communicate with others. Speech therapy for resonance disorders can help to improve the way that air flows through the oral and nasal cavities during speech, improve the clarity and tone of speech, and enhance overall communication abilities.
If you think you or a loved one might benefit from speech therapy for improved resonance or would simply like to learn more, connect with us by scheduling your free introductory call today!
Why is Resonance Important for Speech?
Resonance is one of the most noticeable traits that can distinguish between a strong speaking voice and one that needs improvement. Developing good resonance is among the most important skills related to speech production, but unless you’re a professional singer who has received years of formal training, you may not know very much about resonance or how to improve it. The concept of resonance exists across many fields, from music to physics and engineering. In terms of speech and communication skills, resonance involves the way that the sounds our voices produce vibrate within the body and how airflow moves through the nose and mouth.
Resonance is important for amplifying the voice and giving it a rich and full quality. If you have been told that your voice sounds too nasal, too quiet, stuffed up or congested, or you frequently mumble, you’d likely benefit from working to improve your resonance. Resonance depends on two fundamental speaking skills - breathing and relaxation. Breath control is crucial as it is the breath that powers the vibrations and sounds that become speech. Relaxation is needed for resonance as it decreases tension. Tension reduces the impact of sound vibrations, kind of like placing a blanket over a bell and trying to ring it. In addition, tension causes the body to contract, reducing the amount of space in the lungs and abdomen. It is impossible to feel resonance if your body isn’t totally relaxed.
What Causes a Resonance Disorder?
The most commonly identified cause of resonance disorders is cleft palate. Other causes that have been shown to contribute to the development of resonance disorders include enlarged adenoids, childhood apraxia of speech, and some neurological disorders.
One of the most common forms of resonance disorder is called Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (sometimes referred to as VPD) which is caused by the inability to completely or consistently close the passage between the nose and the mouth. VPD is classified into three different types, which each have different underlying causes.
Incompetence: This occurs when the valve does not close completely because of a neurological problem, such as stroke or ALS.
Insufficiency (also known as VPI): VPI occurs when the valve does not close entirely as a result of a structural defect (such as cleft palate.)
Mislearning: Misleading refers to a normally functioning valve but the individual has not learned how to accurately produce certain sounds.
If you or a loved one is struggling with resonance or would simply benefit from the support of an experienced speech therapist, getting started is as easy as scheduling your free introductory call today!
How Does a Resonance Disorder Affect Speech?
Resonance mostly affects voice quality, but it can also affect the intelligibility of speech and the ability to be properly understood by others. Some of the most commonly observed ways in which resonance disorders affect speech include:
- Hypernasality (the voice is overly nasal sounding)
- Hyponasality (diminished nasal resonance, the voice sounds stuffy or congested)
- Weak Consonant Sounds
- Shorter Sentences and Words are Favored
- The Need for Frequent Breaths During Speech
- Abnormal Articulation (the individual is unable to produce certain sounds)
- Compensatory Articulation (the individual abnormally produces certain sounds)
What are Resonance Activities for Speech Therapy? What is an Example of Resonant Voice Therapy?
Speech therapists are essential for helping individuals overcome resonance disorders and improve their speech, language, and communication skills. By offering customized treatment in a one-to-one setting, they help individuals increase their understanding of resonance, where their specific challenges lie, and how they can benefit from resonant voice therapy and reach their communication goals.
Increasing Self-Awareness: Working to increase self-awareness is essential for long-term progress in resonant voice therapy. The speech and language pathologist will help to identify and monitor vocal and speech production with the goal of enabling the individual to make necessary adjustments to improve their resonance and vocal quality. Exercises can include lip and tongue trills, humming, and simple vocalizations to help the individual feel their vocal resonators and optimize their use.
Develop Stronger Skills: Physical awareness is also an important tool when working to improve resonance. When an individual is able to recognize and optimize vocal production and actively participate in the resonant voice therapy process, they can take ownership of their voice and feel empowered to reach their full potential.
Adaptive Strategies: Resonant voice therapy with an experienced speech and language pathologist provides an arsenal of tools and adaptive strategies that are designed to improve vocal function and voice quality, and encourage vocal health. These strategies often target breath control and resonance placement and can include specific vocal warm-ups and relaxation techniques that help the individual achieve a more resonant and effortless voice.
Speech therapists are experts at helping individuals of all ages overcome challenges and achieve their potential while providing ongoing support and guidance. If you are ready to begin your speech therapy journey, schedule your free introductory call today!