Puberphonia/Mutational Falsetto and Juvenile Voice
The laryngeal mechanism goes through a dramatic change in both males and females during puberty. The male voice lowers about one octave during mutation and the female voice lowers two to three semitones. When this acoustic change does not take place following the normal physical maturation, the male is said to have a functional falsetto and the female a juvenile or child-like voice. The voice qualities associated with these pathologies are typically mild dysphonias characterized by high pitch, low intensity, and breathiness. Common complaints are associated with the inability to shout, to compete with background noise, and voice fatigue. Voice therapy is the treatment of choice with these disorders.