The voice does not break, and growth does not increase. Transitional age in boys

Hello, Sasha.

Voice formation in both men and women is a rather complex and multi-stage process. It involves at least 5 body systems: lungs, chest, nasopharynx, vocal folds (also called “cords,” but this is incorrect), articulatory apparatus and larynx. The voice is formed precisely at the moment when the air inhaled by a person passes through the vocal folds, which begin to vibrate and vibrate, and sound, as is known, is born during vibration.

Since the vocal folds tend to grow, children's voices, when they are completely undeveloped, are high-pitched and squeaky. You can’t fool nature, because she has provided for everything: children need such voices so that their parents can hear them even over long distances.

When do boys' voices change?

It cannot be said for sure that at the age of 12 a boy’s voice will necessarily change and “break.” No! Firstly, in boys the process of changing their voice proceeds faster, because the vocal folds grow and thicken at a faster rate. For girls, this process takes a little longer, so by about 10-12 years the difference in voices becomes obvious. After a couple of years (by about 13 - 14 years), sex hormones intervene in the process of voice mutation, because Boys begin puberty. It is at this moment that the voice changes greatly, because the rate of growth and thickening of the vocal folds is now influenced by hormones.

It is also impossible to say for sure about the duration of the voice mutation process, because withdrawal can last from one month to several years. On average, the process takes a couple of months, during which time growing men already have time to get used to their new “sound.”

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that boys experience serious psychological problems during the period of voice changes, so parents need to treat the child during this period of his development more attentively and leniently. Adults should avoid shouting and loud tones that become bass-heavy. Under no circumstances should the situation escalate to the point where the child himself screams, because... screaming loudly can cause damage to his vocal folds, which can lead to the development of voice problems. Strong tension in warehouses at the stage of their active growth can lead to the formation of “nodules” that greatly change the voice. Among other things, screaming can provoke hemorrhage in the tissues of the folds.

What is early puberty?

I would like to draw your special attention to the fact that the age of 13 - 14 years for breaking a voice is very arbitrary. The average limit of voice breakdown (puberty) is defined in this range, but, as with any other rule, there may be exceptions to this one. In medical practice, there are indeed cases when boys experience puberty earlier (for example, at 8 - 10 years old), as well as situations when it occurs at a later age (for example, at 18 years old).

In this situation, we are interested in early puberty in boys, although it is called “early” only if it begins before the age of 10. The age of 11 in boys is considered absolutely normal for certain changes in his body - puberty.

At approximately 11 - 13 years of age (in this case, at 11 years old for you), the production of the hormone GnRH begins in a certain part of the child’s brain (the hypothalamus gland). It is this hormone that is involved in the formation of sperm and other sex hormones. As mentioned earlier, it is these sex hormones, androgens, that influence the vocal folds, which begin to actively increase in size and thicken. Accordingly, a change in the voice occurs, its mutation, which is called “breakage”.

Sincerely, Natalia.

At the age of 13-14, boys' voice changes. How to help a teenager get through this time?

A stream of air escaping from the lungs causes the vocal folds (also called cords) to vibrate at a certain frequency, and the chest and nasopharynx serve as resonators.

In children, the larynx is small, the folds are small, and under the action of a stream of air only their edges vibrate, producing high-pitched, piercing sounds. But at the age of 13–14, under the influence of sex hormones, the vocal folds in boys begin to grow, lengthen and thicken. There is a transition to the adult mechanism of sound formation, when the entire fold vibrates, the vocal wave goes both horizontally and vertically, so the adult voice is deeper, more beautiful, and varied in color.

Children grow unevenly: one guy may still be a small sprout, but his bass voice is already breaking through with all his might, while the other has grown a mile tall, and his voice is still childish. Such boys, ahead of their peers or lagging behind them, have the most difficult time - they are more embarrassed than others about their voice.

Most teenagers quickly discover a new mechanism for producing sounds. But sometimes the help of a phonopedist is required - a voice training specialist who usually works with singers. More often this happens to boys who grow up surrounded by only women: they have no one to imitate, no one to take an example from. Usually one lesson is enough, during which the doctor will show you exercises for establishing and strengthening a normal male voice.

THREE TIPS FOR PARENTS FROM A PHONIATER

Boys, unfortunately, do not take care of them: when playing football, they scream like crazy, sing songs with a guitar at the top of their lungs... Due to overstrain, nodules can appear on the folds, which are called screamer’s nodules. They change the vibration of the folds, and the voice becomes hoarse. Some nodules resolve on their own if the load is reduced, but sometimes they have to be removed using microsurgery.

SECOND. Colds can prolong the mutation.

If the boy has already stopped growing upward, and his voice still does not sound low like a man, you need to show the teenager to a phoniatrist. The longer a guy speaks in falsetto, the more difficult it will be for him to switch to an adult voice. By the way, a red throat in a teenager is not always a sign of a respiratory infection. As the larynx grows, blood circulation increases in it, the tissues become more red, as with laryngitis.

They begin to treat the boy for a cold, give him medicine, take him to doctors, but only a normal physiological process occurs.

No one is destined to know what kind of “adult” voice a beautifully singing little boy will have. A well-known example is Robertino Loretti. And nothing can be done about it: the capabilities of the voice depend on the natural characteristics of the body. So be philosophical about age-related voice mutation and try to teach your child this.

Voice mutation in adolescents is a phenomenon that is caused by changes in the body's hormonal levels. Boys are mostly susceptible to voice failure. Voice mutation occurs during puberty. Testosterone begins to enter the teenager's blood. This male sex hormone provokes an expansion of the glottis. The voice begins to acquire a lower frequency and the hoarseness characteristic of men.

A physiological feature of the structure of the human vocal apparatus in childhood is the same structure of the vocal cords in boys and girls. It is almost impossible to distinguish a child's gender by his voice. However, already at the age of 10, boys begin to speak in a lower voice. This is due to faster growth of the glottis and cords. At 10-12 years old, the voices of a boy and a girl differ by only 1.5 mm. This is exactly how long the glottis of a ten-year-old boy is. And yet, we clearly notice the difference in the tonality of the sound.

These changes are not associated with hormonal influences. Physiological characteristics come into play here. It was according to this principle that in past centuries, at the age of 10-12 years, boys were selected for a singing career in church choirs. To exclude the phenomenon of voice mutation, he underwent surgery to remove the gonads. Because in the future, the entire process of breaking the voice occurs precisely under the influence of sex hormones.

Voice mutation in boys is physiology

Age-related voice mutation in a teenage boy is a normal physiological phenomenon. It usually begins during puberty. At the same time, boys begin to experience their first pollination, pubic and axillary hair growth. Simultaneously with the breaking of the voice, facial hair begins to grow in characteristic places.

Voice loss can occur from 11-12 years of age until a boy reaches 18 years of age. If you suffer from late voice mutation, you should pay attention to the adolescent’s male health. Perhaps there are some deviations. Most often, voice mutation takes no more than 2 months. During this time, the voice acquires a characteristic tonality. Subsequently, the timbre of the voice remains the same throughout life. Only laryngeal injuries, burns and abuse of bad habits can change it.

The mechanism of sexual mutation of the voice in boys is a gradual thickening of the vocal cords and a further expansion of the glottis. This process is influenced not only by testosterone, but also by the hormone gonadotropin, which accelerates the growth of body hair and provokes the appearance of secondary male sexual characteristics.

Voice mutation in girls is a pathology

If voice mutation in boys during adolescence is inevitable and evidence of proper growth and development, then in girls this phenomenon refers to pathological deviations. Voice mutation in girls is a fairly rare occurrence. It usually indicates an increased level of testosterone in the blood. May be accompanied by such phenomena as:

appearance of facial hair;
male body type;
accelerated growth of limbs;
delay in the development of secondary female sexual characteristics.

Correction of this condition is carried out under the supervision of endocrinologists. The causes may be viral diseases, changes in diet and daily routine, stressful situations, and improper...

Why does voice loss occur in children?

It should be understood that voice failure in children is an inevitable phenomenon associated with growth and development. It is so inherent in nature that in childhood, at a time when the offspring needs care and protection from their parents, children have thin, piercing voices. High-pitched sounds travel long distances and are more clearly perceived by the human ear.

As the body grows, the length of the glottis and ligaments changes. There is a slight loss of voice in girls. A lower pitch appears. But this phenomenon cannot be called a mutation of the voice. Withdrawal is not associated with hormonal changes.

A stream of air escaping from the lungs causes the vocal folds (also called cords) to vibrate at a certain frequency, and the chest and nasopharynx serve as resonators.

THREE TIPS FOR PARENTS FROM A PHONIATER

The boys, unfortunately, do not take care of them: when playing football, they scream like crazy, and sing songs at the top of their lungs with a guitar. Due to overstrain, nodules can appear on the folds, which are called screamer’s nodules. They change the vibration of the folds, and the voice becomes hoarse. Some nodules resolve on their own if the load is reduced, but sometimes they have to be removed using microsurgery.

SECOND. Colds can prolong the mutation.

They begin to treat the boy for a cold, give him medicine, take him to doctors, but only a normal physiological process occurs.

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Voice breaking in boys: how and why it happens

How and why voice breakdown (mutation) occurs in boys, read our article.

Just yesterday your son spoke in a normal, boyish voice, and today you heard the first breakdown. He has started puberty, so a lot of things are changing in him, including his voice breaking (voice mutation). Along with obvious external changes, the boy's voice takes on a completely different sound. For some time, it will even be difficult for him to control his cords, so due to his voice breaking, he will make a variety of strange sounds.

It is the larynx that is responsible for the production of sound. As puberty progresses, the larynx enlarges and becomes thicker. This happens in both boys and girls, but for a boy, of course, the changes due to voice mutation are more noticeable. Girls' voices can literally go down a key or two, and it's barely noticeable, but a boy's voice becomes much lower and deeper.

Why do boys' voices sound so strange during mutation?

Before a boy reaches adolescence, his larynx is very small, and his vocal cords are thin and small. That's why a boy's voice is higher than a grown man's. But with maturation, the larynx enlarges, and the ligaments become longer and stronger, and accordingly the boy’s voice becomes deeper.

In addition, the facial bones also grow: the size of the sinuses, nose and back of the throat becomes larger. More space gives the voice more opportunity to resonate.

When does voice loss occur in boys?

Everyone develops at their own pace, so boys experience voice loss at different ages. This usually occurs between ages 11 and 14.5, often after a big growth spurt. For some, the mutation (break) of the voice lasts a long time and gradually, while for others it happens very quickly.

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Did you think you knew your son, but recently you don’t seem to recognize him? All your advice is received with hostility, he does not hear what you tell him, and does everything as if out of spite, and even is rude to you. Don't be alarmed, this is adolescence for boys.

For teenage boys, the arrival of this period in life means changes not only external, but also internal. The boy gradually becomes a man. For some, this transformation occurs quite painlessly and is practically unnoticeable. But such lucky ones are few. Or rather, the luckiest of all, of course, are the parents of such young people. But more often than not, a boy has to go through a difficult period of his life before becoming a man.

When does adolescence begin in boys?

The period of adolescence in young men usually occurs at the age of 14-15. At this time, an increase in physical strength and a hormonal explosion lead to the boy trying to prove to everyone that he is already an adult. But such a desire during adolescence runs up against psychological unpreparedness to lead an adult life and perform truly adult actions.

Adolescence leads to the fact that a once calm and, perhaps, obedient boy becomes aggressive, stubborn, and uncontrollable.

At what age does a beard grow?

All teenagers want to look more mature and courageous at some point. Around this time, young people become interested in when a beard begins to grow. You will have to disappoint teenagers; facial hair begins to appear after the age of 16. For some, later, at 17 or even 19 years old.

Loss of voice in boys

Another sign that a boy is becoming a man is a man's low voice, which replaces the child's treble. At what age do boys’ voices break is a question that worries both parents and teenagers themselves.

In reality, the voice does not break, but undergoes characteristic changes that are caused by both the growth of the larynx and the action of hormones. The vocal cords become longer and thicker. The pitch of the voice becomes lower, the timbre becomes thicker. At first the young man “gives cock,” but later his voice becomes established, changing completely.

Puberty

Puberty is the ability to have children. Puberty in boys is associated with the production of the hormone GnRH. This occurs starting at about 11 years of age. At first, the hormone is produced by the body only at night during deep sleep. Later, the hormone is released regardless of whether the young man is sleeping or awake. This hormone then affects the formation of sperm and male sex hormones.

Problems of adolescence

This age is often called problematic. It is very important to find a common language with a teenager during this period; even better, for parents to be an authority for him.

Many difficulties are related to the psychological side of the issue. Teenagers, even being calm and balanced before, begin to behave completely differently. They are rude and can even be rude to their elders. A passion for denial awakens, youthful maximalism coupled with teenage nihilism is a real test for parents; here they should be wise.

The other side of the coin is external changes during adolescence, which do not always carry positive emotions. We are talking about the appearance of pimples and acne on the face at this time, which can truly become a disaster for young men who dream of becoming adult men as soon as possible. This trouble is caused by the active work of the sebaceous glands during adolescence.

Puberty in boys

Puberty, which is also called the time of puberty, occurs differently for all young men. Some people have to experience all the problems of this period, which were mentioned above, while others experience it much easier. Typically, the preparatory period for puberty starts at the age of 10 and ends with full puberty by the age of 20-21.

How to survive adolescence

Adults who do not find time for their own children regret it later. At the same time, you need to trust your already growing child. Don’t babysit, communicate with him as with an adult, but at the same time don’t get carried away with controlling his free time, give him a certain freedom. The last nuance is especially difficult, since parents are afraid of how their growing son will manage his free time; hobbies, sports, music, this is what can help spend his free time profitably.

I would like to recommend that parents be patient. It is very important to be attentive to your son going through this age period. Often children themselves do not mind talking about their problems with their elders, but they always have no time. It is necessary to know with whom the teenager communicates, what he lives with, what he is interested in, and what he loves, finally.