LMRVT employs perceptual measures to guide patients toward the target behavior of resonant voice. Patients initially learn to sense vibrations along their anterior alveolar ridge during easy phonation and practice voiced and voiceless sounds in isolation.
Research in motor learning suggests that attention to the mechanics of learning impairs immediate performance and long-term retention (Verdolini & Titze, in preparation). Therefore, clinicians utilize sensory methods of instruction whenever possible.
Easy Phonation
Resonant voice therapy aims to teach healthy voicing patterns to meet everyday functional speech demands, in contrast to more traditional approaches that focus on eliminating symptoms like nodules. Resonant voice therapy places more importance on how patients speak rather than giving a list of hygiene do’s and don’ts; furthermore, home resonant practice helps protect the voice against further damage.
Your patient will learn to produce a resonant sound during resonant voice therapy by feeling vibrations on their anterior alveolar ridge, nose, mouth, and teeth. Their therapist will instruct them on how to feel these sensations during easy phonation before practicing voiced and voiceless sounds at word, phrase and sentence levels – stressing that producing such sounds requires minimal effort without strain or tension.
Resonant voice therapy has proven highly successful at treating various voice disorders; however, its most widespread application lies in treating laryngeal nodules, polyps, and other chronic vocal fold lesions. Furthermore, studies have also demonstrated improvements to healthy individuals’ resonant frequency, timbre, and pitch. Furthermore, it can reduce voice deterioration rates as well as speeds up recovery post surgery for laryngeal cancer or trauma (Yiu 2017).
LMRVT stands out as an innovative therapy in that it employs perceptual measures as the cornerstone. Research supports their effectiveness for optimizing long-term learning and compliance, in line with LMRVT’s philosophy that prioritizes perceptual over motor learning.
LMRVT stresses the importance of maintaining a low voice intensity during therapy sessions. This approach aligns with clinical studies which indicate that high-intensity voices may contribute to laryngeal nodules and polyps.
LMRVT also uses an individualized hygiene program tailored specifically for each client, in contrast to more traditional approaches that impose lengthy lists of do’s and don’ts for hygiene practices. Instead, LMRVT encourages patients to create their own home routine for using resonance voice therapy at home, along with developing a post-therapy self-management plan tailored to each person’s lifestyle and post-therapy needs.
One potential downside of LMRVT is that it may encourage patients to attempt louder speech outside the clinic before they are fully recovered, risking further phonotrauma and delaying full recovery timeframe. Therefore, this technique should only be employed sparingly until more research becomes available.
Forward Focus
Verdolini Resonant Voice Therapy emphasizes oral sensations, easy phonation and sensory awareness while using lip trills, stretching and neck/laryngeal massage techniques. Furthermore, this form of therapy encourages forward vibration at both hard palate and alveolar ridge areas which leads to stronger, healthier voices with reduced impact on vocal folds from talking.
Kittie Verdolini Abbott suggests that otolaryngologists only refer patients for voice therapy to speech pathologists who understand this approach. She has witnessed many instances where patients suffering from muscle tension dysphonia received ineffective therapy as a result of being seen by an unfamiliar speech pathologist, often children told not to talk too much themselves who then received ineffective therapy when having difficulty in school.
