In Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, phonation bursts occur primarily on which type of sounds?

• A. Voiced sounds
• B. Voiceless sounds
• C. Mixed
• D. All

Answer: (B)

In Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, the vocal folds tend to abduct, causing interruptions in phonation. The brief phonation bursts occur when the folds briefly come together to produce a quick voice during segments where there would normally be no vocal fold vibration—namely, voiceless sounds. Because voiceless sounds do not sustain voicing, these fleeting adduction events stand out as short bursts of phonation, making them most noticeable on voiceless consonants. In contrast, on voiced sounds the ongoing vibration can mask these brief bursts, so they’re less apparent. This timing pattern helps clinicians recognize the abductor type and differentiate it from other voice disorders.