| Sumario: | Purpose: This study examined the effects of a manual tension reduction technique on acoustic and perceptual parameters of voice in a pediatric client diagnosed with functional dysphonia (FD). Method: A single pediatric client with FD was treated using circumlaryngeal massage (CM) for approximately 2 hr during a diagnostic evaluation. Acoustic and perceptual parameters of voice were taken before, after, and 1 year after treatment to determine the effects of the manual tension reduction treatment. Results: The participant demonstrated significant improvement in the perception of her overall vocal quality, strain, breathiness, pitch, and loudness after treatment. Acoustic measures of fundamental frequency and perturbation were normalized after treatment in both a sustained vowel production and a reading task. One-year follow-up demonstrated no change in the client's ability to maintain posttreatment vocal characteristics. Conclusion: A manual tension reduction technique was used successfully to treat a pediatric client's FD and return her voice to expected acoustic and perceptual values.
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