A Step-By-Step Guide: Utilizing PRAAT for the Clinical Voice Evaluation

LIVE AGENDA:

7:00 PM – 7:10 PM: Foundations

• Hardware requirements (mic/interface) and the “Ideal vs. Clinical” recording environment.
• The “Clean Start”: Importing .wav files vs. recording directly into the Objects window. Confirm everyone has opened their sample files in Praat.
• Brief orientation: Verify all participants can see the “Objects” list.

7:10 PM – 7:25 PM: Pitch Domain (Active Practice)

• Live Demo: Show the conversion from Sound to Pitch and demo extracting measures that require the “Pitch” window:
  • Sustained /a/: Mean fo Min/Max fo and fo Range
  • Glides: Ascending/Descending Min/Max fo and Range.
  • Connected Speech: Speaking Fundamental Frequency (sfo ) and SDfo Standard Deviation (Intonation Variability).
  • Workshop: Participants perform the steps on their own sample file.

7:25-7:40 PM: Cepstral Domain (Active Practice)

• Live Demo: Converting Sound objects to CPPS Objects and running Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) for vowel and connected speech
• Workshop: Participants run the analysis on their sample recordings.

7:40 PM – 8:00 PM: Intensity Domain (Active Practice)

• Live Demo: Converting Sound to Intensity.
  • Sustained /a/: Habitual, Minimum, and Maximum Vocal Intensity.
  • Tasks: Reading passage vs. Conversational speech habitual intensity.
  • Workshop: Participants extract habitual/max/min intensity.

8:00 PM – 8:10 PM: Neuromotor Domain (Active Practice)

• Live Demo: Segmenting the waveform to calculate laryngeal diadochokinetic (LDDK) rates:
  • Adductor (/ʌ/) vs. Abductor (/hʌ/).
  • Calculating pulses per second and identifying rhythmicity issues.
  • Workshop: Participants segment their sample files to calculate pulses per second.

8:10 PM – 8:25 PM: Script-Based Analysis (Active Practice)

• Live Demo: Running AVQI, ABI, and DSI scripts on the provided samples.
  • AVQI (Acoustic Voice Quality Index)
  • ABI (Acoustic Breathiness Index)
  • DSI (Dysphonia Severity Index)
  • Workshop: Participants run AVQI, ABI, and DSI scripts on the provided samples.

8:25 PM – 8:30 PM: Final Troubleshooting & Q+A

• Resources for Praat scripts and final troubleshooting

Ashley Michaelis is a medical speech-language pathologist and the founder of Empowered Voice Rehabilitation LLC, a private practice based in Jacksonville, Florida. With an extensive background in adult medical speech-language pathology, she specializes in the evaluation and treatment of complex voice, swallowing, upper airway, and neurogenic communication disorders.

Ashley’s clinical approach is rooted in an integrative approach that combines patient-centered care and evidence-based frameworks to drive measurable patient outcomes. Prior to her current role in private practice, she has taught at the graduate level, served as the Lead Mentor for the MedSLP Collective and has worked in various other clinical settings including outpatient rehab, inpatient rehab, acute care, and multidisciplinary clinics.

A committed educator and advocate for clinical excellence, Ashley is a certified clinician in specialized protocols including the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP) and Ampcare’s Effective Swallowing Protocol (ESP). She regularly develops advanced curricula for healthcare providers, focusing on the bridge between physiological assessment and functional, real-world implementation. Through her practice and mentorship, she remains dedicated to empowering both clinicians and patients through specialized, evidence-based care.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES:

• Medical SLP Collective – Honoraria; Empowered Voice Rehabilitation – Owner/Salary

  NON-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES:

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); Professional Member of The Voice Foundation; Jax Therapy & Wellness Collective; Jax Gender-Affirming Healthcare Collaborative

Can I get ASHA CEUS for this Course?

To successfully complete this course, participants must submit a reflective statement (150-250 words in length) within 14 days of taking the course addressing the following: Identify one key concept, technique, or insight you learned during the course and describe how you plan to apply this learning in your clinical practice.

What is the Refund/Cancellation Policy?  

Click here to view our policy:  https://medslpcollective.com/cancellation-of-courses-and-events/

What can I do if I have a complaint?  

Please contact us at info@medslpcollective.com

Who is this webinar appropriate for?  

The target audience for this content is licensed speech-language pathologists. There are no prerequisite skills or knowledge needed beyond the basic speech-language pathology training and licensing.

What if I need special accommodations?  

If you require accommodations to access these materials due to a disability, please email us at info@medslpcollective.com