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OutlawSteph
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10 Dec 2008, 12:10 pm

I've never been dx'ed with a voice disorder but I think have a stereotypical "child like" voice. It does concern me because of the fact that it's not what you say but how you say it. I also have prosody and volume issues that aren't extremely noticeable but more subtle. Why is this a feature of AS in women?

It's hard to be taken seriously sometimes. I've been told (in my 30s) to have my mother call back while I was taking to a real estate agent. My last boss told me she thought of me as "one of the kids".

Is there any scientific research to confirm this issue or explain why?

:?



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10 Dec 2008, 12:19 pm

Why are you blaming having a child like voice on Aspergers? It has nothing to do with Aspergers. Nor is having such a voice considered a "voice disorder". Its a normal variation of the human voice. Many women have this type of voice and they do not have Aspergers. It more has to do with your hormone levels, also your stature as short women tend to have the child voice more and certain ethnicities seem to have it occur more often.

If you dislike your voice you can change it through voice lessons also as a person gets older bad habits they pick up like smoking will change voices.

Just a FYI the most famous woman with a child voice is Dr. Ruth Westheimer and there is no way in hell she has Aspergers and people love her. Her voice is part of what makes her famous. Jane Powell was also the same way.



capriwim
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10 Dec 2008, 12:37 pm

Normally females modulate their voices subconsciously to match the tone and pitch of other females. Although pitch does depend on various aspects of the anatomy, it can be varied. That is why nowadays females have deeper voices than they used to - it's more of a social phenomenon. It's quite possible for adults to still have childlike voices not from any anatomical anomaly but because they simply haven't altered their voice to fit in with society's typical 'adult' way of talking.

So, it could be that because of your Aspergers, you simply aren't tuned in to how other people are talking (the same reason as I never picked up accents from moving around England as a kid but my sisters did). But it could be that if you actually consciously imitated a voice, you could do it - because it's also common in aspies to be good at imitation. So you could try finding an adult voice you'd like to imitate - like a TV star or something - and simply listening and copying back everything she says. Try recording yourself to see. You can also imitate the prosody and see how you can control that consciously.



katiemonster
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10 Dec 2008, 2:38 pm

I alter my voice all the time. It's not that hard. It's really easy when I sing. sometimes I can sound like tori amos, sometimes natalie merchant... and it FEELS good when I'm around friend for them to notice.

Minnie Driver also alters her voice to an American Accent - she says just talk through your nose, it doesn't have to sound like your holding it... The reverse of that, without sounding like your mocking a british accent is to talk lower in your throat - kinda like a radio personality voice.

If you can't, don't worry about it. This is just advice I can give from my own personal experience. I'm very self conscious, and I can't help trying to adjust to people and my surroundings. Honestly, it cause I don't feel I have much of a personality of my own. Few people know a version of the "real" me.



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10 Dec 2008, 2:44 pm

OutlawSteph wrote:
I've never been dx'ed with a voice disorder but I think have a stereotypical "child like" voice. It does concern me because of the fact that it's not what you say but how you say it. I also have prosody and volume issues that aren't extremely noticeable but more subtle. Why is this a feature of AS in women?

It's hard to be taken seriously sometimes. I've been told (in my 30s) to have my mother call back while I was taking to a real estate agent. My last boss told me she thought of me as "one of the kids".

Is there any scientific research to confirm this issue or explain why?

:?


I don't believe this is an Aspie issue, it's an individual issue.

In my own case, on the speakers at drive-through/take-away food places I'm usually mistaken for a male. Which I most certainly am not! :lol:



OutlawSteph
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10 Dec 2008, 3:35 pm

I could never alter my voice just by acting or ever imitate anyone else's voice, or movements or facial expressions for that matter either.

I've had blood tests to test thyroid and hormones and I'm normal medically. I'm also average height. My voice has a large range to it. It's not that squeeky or high pitched, it just sounds like a pre-teen's.

When I was younger I felt like a human trapped in a robot body and that's never made sense to my until I figured out I was AS.



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10 Dec 2008, 4:06 pm

I´m quite sure that I did read in a few places that that can be a possible trait of Asperger´s Syndrome; (in other words, some people with AS tend to have childlike voices, others don´t). I know I´ve read about this more than once, but unfortunately I don´t remember where, so I can´t quote it. But, for that reason, my answer is probably yes.


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capriwim
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10 Dec 2008, 4:17 pm

You could try having voice therapy with a speech and language therapist. Sometimes it's simply a matter of learning how to make movements to relax your vocal folds or lower your larynx. There are really specific things you can learn to do to make your voice lower or higher.



capriwim
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10 Dec 2008, 4:19 pm

But, out of interest, how does it sound like a pre-teen's if it is not high-pitched? Normally the difference is in the pitch. Unless it's in the intonation - if you sound less confident, by a questioning intonation or something. Sounding less confident can make you sound younger.



OutlawSteph
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10 Dec 2008, 5:47 pm

capriwim wrote:
But, out of interest, how does it sound like a pre-teen's if it is not high-pitched?


Pitch is strictly frequency. You think of a mature voice as being not only lower pitched, but full and with proper prosody and accent, the latter of course being relative to your geographic and ethnic background.

My voice lacks the fullness of an adult and the proper prosody making me sound immature. When I'm confident about speaking such as giving a speech on an academic topic, it's probably perceived as lifeless and monotone.



capriwim
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10 Dec 2008, 6:52 pm

Well, irregular prosody and monotone are recognised features of Aspergers.

As for fullness - I guess you mean a thin voice? There are ways to train it to make it fuller, moving various parts of your vocal anatomy in different ways. But of course it depends if it's that important to you.

I've been told by my brother-in-law, who's a doctor, that my voice definitely sounds like an Asperger's voice, and he has patients with Aspergers who sound just like me. But I have learnt to imitate different types of voices for different roles, so that I don't sound inappropriate in general. But I also do often sound younger than I am.



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10 Dec 2008, 6:56 pm

Most people confuse my daughter and me over the phone. I always thought my voice was high and nasal sounding. We have radios at work for communication away from phones and when I first started, someone told me that a few people who still had not learned my name would call me 'the lady with the really nice voice'. I thought there must be something wrong with their ears. Then one day, I was talking on the radio and could hear my own voice over a co-worker's radio. I asked them...does my voice sound like that out loud? They said, yes. Funny...I always thought my voice was high and strange. It is really kind of 'oooh la la'. :D



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11 Dec 2008, 12:19 pm

I have a sorta "immature" sounding voice for a 33 year old...I have thought that mybe it was kinda related to my being on the spectrum...
My voice actually gets complimented alot. i am glad I don't talk like other people...alot of voices get on my nerves. I speak in a voice that I can tolerate hearing...
Telemarketers ask to speak to my mom all the time...I think it is funny...



OutlawSteph
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11 Dec 2008, 12:43 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:
I have a sorta "immature" sounding voice for a 33 year old.


I saw your websites and think you're acting like a freak on purpose.



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11 Dec 2008, 2:41 pm

^So what if she is and so what if she isnt. It's got nothing to do with you. I think she's beautiful and atleast she doesnt act like a b***h!



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11 Dec 2008, 3:00 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:
I have a sorta "immature" sounding voice for a 33 year old...I have thought that mybe it was kinda related to my being on the spectrum...
My voice actually gets complimented alot. i am glad I don't talk like other people...alot of voices get on my nerves. I speak in a voice that I can tolerate hearing...
Telemarketers ask to speak to my mom all the time...I think it is funny...


I checked you out on "You Tube". I like the sound of your voice.

As for me, I don´t like my voice. Whenever I hear my voice on a tape recorder or an answering machine, I can barely stand to hear it...I can´t believe it´s my voice! (Sort of low and deep, actually...although I do sing soprano somehow...) my voice sounds so different when I´m hearing it from the inside. Why is that???


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