The impact of functional dysphonia on social interaction

Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of functional dysphonia on social interaction. Functional dysphonia is a voice disorder that has a profound negative impact on communication and quality oflife, and should be seen as a communication disorder that affects both the person with dysphonia and the persons helshe interacts with. Voice therap y by a speech and language pathologist is an effective way of treating functional dysphonia, and although voice therapy does not focus on allering pragrnatic behaviour in conversation, it is reasonable to assume that this behaviour is affected. The specific pragrnatic components investigated in this study are pauses, which are vital in communication. To examine the effect ofvoice therapy, four patients with functional dysphonia were recorded in conversatian before and after a period of treatment. The recordings we re anal y sed with emphasis on the arnount and length of different types of pauses. Although the sample is small, som e tendencies are visible in the results. For exarnple, on e of the participanis (participant B) shows a change in his patterus of pausing, which indicates a c !ear improvement in the ability to plan his speech and breathing. It is also possible to discern a more confident conversational style in several participants. In conclusion, it can be said that functional dysphonia influences the conversational style o