April 14, 2026
The Power of the Breath
We All Want Our Voices Heard
This week one of my school age friends with a hoarse voice was diagnosed with vocal cord nodules by an ENT. Vocal cord nodules are bumps on the vocal cords which can develop similarly to calluses on our hands. They can go away with vocal rest, voice therapy, and good vocal hygiene by drinking plenty of water. Due to misuse (like yelling too much), my friend ended up with a strained voice. He just wanted his voice to be heard over his little brother but, unfortunately, resulted in a voice that is hard to hear. We all want our voices to be heard! This is where the breath comes in along with exercises to strengthen the support his voice needs for optimal phonation (production of speech).
One exercise that he finds motivating is exhaling on a “s” sound while looking at a timer. The challenge is to learn to breathe without pushing, thus using his lungs in a new way. A great visual for practicing how our lungs expand and contract is using an expandable ball. It’s so much fun, that I highly recommend incorporating it into your pediatric voice therapy.
We had a beautiful moment when my friend took a relaxed inhale and said the word “saw” effortlessly (he is also working on the “s” sound due to a frontal lisp). No hoarseness, just the beautiful sound of a child’s healthy voice. I am looking forward to hearing more of his true voice next week!