Belly Breathing for Voice Disorders
Overview:
Belly breathing is an essential skill for working on voice. This video explains/describes how to help kids have biofeedback for breathing with their belly.
Task Analysis (How To):
Now comes the fun part! Here’s where we break this larger skill down into manageable, bite-size pieces. Here’s how to break this skill down for therapy:
- Student will Lay on Back and Demonstrate his/her Typical Breathing: Have kid lay on their back. Observe breathing at rest and decide what needs to be targeted (e.g. if they are chest vs. clavicular breathing)
- Student will Watch Their Own Breathing: Show the child how he/she breathes visually (in mirror) or tactile (feeling chest or shoulders with hands)
- Student will Attend to Description of Belly Breathing: Describe how you want the child to breathe and what they should change.
- Student will Belly Breathe with Tactile Feedback: Have the child pick an object (e.g. stuffed animal, action figure, etc.) to be placed in abdomen for biofeedback during attempts. Instruct the child to breathe with their belly to move the object. Provide verbal, visual, and tactile cues as necessary to achieve proper belly breathing.
- Student will demonstrate belly breathing with voicing: Provide verbal, visual, and tactile cues to help child add voicing to belly breath.
- Student will demonstrate belly breathing while sitting: Provide verbal, visual, and tactile cues to help the child practice this skill in sitting position (at rest and with voicing)
- Student will apply belly breathing to voice therapy tasks: Apply belly breathing to all subsequent voice therapy tasks
