The voice is a primary means of expression and oral communication and has life-long importance to social well-being. The cry of the infant eventually becomes the voice of the teacher, lawyer, singer, or receptionist; it provides a means of livelihood for many. The voice is intimately related to most individuals' sense of self-identity. It is also an indicator of health, emotion, age, and gender. Voice may be defined in a broad (synonymous with speech) or narrow sense.<sup>60 Titze I.R.   Rinciples of Voice Production Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall (1994). 

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti</sup> In a narrow sense, voice refers to vocalization, or production of the sound created by vocal fold vibration. Phonation is the physical and physiologic process of vocal fold vibration.

The components of the entire speech production system (i.e., respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonance) are of relevance to voice disorders; however, in this article, only the anatomy and physiology of phonation and resonance as they pertain to growing children are presented. The discussion then turns to voice clinically; the disorders of phonation (or ``dysphonias'') in the pediatric age group. Common causes of voice problems and their evaluation and management are reviewed.