Features of the voice apparatus in children with hearing loss

Background. One of the critical and urgent problems of pediatric otorhinolaryngology is impaired hearing, which is considered both medical and social. In the absence of auditory feedback, children with hearing impairment suffer from voice and speech disorders due to their inability to control their voice. Aim. To determine the nature of vocal apparatus (VA) disorders in children with bilateral chronic sensorineural hearing loss. Materials and methods. A subjective and objective voice assessment was conducted in 100 children aged 4-12 years with varying severity of bilateral chronic sensorineural hearing loss. Results. The study found that hearing impairment is associated with VA disorders in children with severe hearing loss (HL), reflected in their voice's acoustic characteristics. The medical care for children with grade 3-4 HL should not be limited to hearing aids; measures to identify and treat HA abnormalities are also necessary. Phonopedic classes are indicated for children with any HL since most of them (72.9%) have a change in the timbre and modulation of the voice, which can aggravate inevitable communication problems.