High pitched voice....anyone else?

[aris99]

My ydd was born at 26 weeks (1lb 10.5oz). She was on the vent for a bit. On CPAP for what seemed like a LONG time. She was in the NICU for 3 mos. She'll be 4 in Dec. Her development is pretty much normal (for my family anyway ).

BUT her voice is super high pitched. Just wondering if this was due to being on the vent? High palate? She had a PDA but it resolved w/indo (drug used to close PDA) so she didn't have surgery or anything. Anyone btdt? Anyone know the cause and whether her voice will ever become deeper? She speaks relatively clearly for a 3 yo but it can be hard to understand her due to the high pitch...I swear she sounds like one of the chipmunks sometimes!

I'd appreciate any links if you have them. I've been unable to find anything though I've googled extensively. Thanks!

[OGirlieMama]

I don't know. My 3-year-old who was on a vent for 2 weeks actually has a slightly raspier voice than her twin who was only on CPAP. I've never decided whether to blame the vent or just random nature.

[Lousli]

My daughter was never on a vent, just a little CPAP like the pp. She has always had a voice that is a little raspy and a little high-pitched. I've also kind of wondered if it has to do with her size. Most of the kids I know her age seem to have slightly older sounding voices but she still has a voice that sounds like she's about 3 (which is how tall she is) rather than nearly 5.

[karne]

My 3 y/o nephew, preemie, hads had pitch issues for a bit now. He's had thorough hearing exams, and was referred to a speech pathologist for further w/u. It may be sensory in nature.

[aris99]

Thank-you so much for your replies! My dd is on the small size but that's the lower end of the average range so I wouldn't call her tiny for her age...so I don't think it's her size. I had read somewhere (a couple of yrs ago) about preemies having high palettes due to the vent and this causing a higher pitch but I can't find this link or any other similar reference.

Karne: Not sure what you mean by a sensory issue...could you explain? My eldest has asperger's, and my middle child has a huge array of sensory issues so it does run in the family but oddly enough my micro "seems" to be the least affected. When she came home from the NICU even though she had passed her hearing test she was showing signs of being profoundly deaf so we were sent for a bunch of auditory/hearing tests and she passed w/flying colours...she just would not respond to sound. Almost 4 yrs later she can't stand a lot of noise, particularly loud noise.....is there a connection between voice quality and auditory sensory issues?

Thanks for your input!