Voice and Communication Change for Transgender People
[en Español]
At times, people may want to change the way they talk and sound. Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, can help with these changes.
If you are transgender, you may want change the way you speak. You may choose to have voice and communication therapy to help make these changes.
An SLP can work with you to change how you sound. The SLP will talk with you about your goals. The SLP will listen to your vocal pitch, or how high or deep your voice sounds. The SLP will also listen to the words you use and watch how you communicate nonverbally.
If you try to change your voice on your own, you may do things that hurt it. You can end up sounding raspy or lose your voice. The SLP will help you stop behaviors that may hurt your voice and teach you safer ways to speak.
The following are some of the things about your voice that you may work on in therapy:
- Pitch, or how high or low your voice sounds
- Resonance, or the quality of the sound of your voice
- Intonation, or the rhythm of speech
- Rate, or how fast or slowly you speak
- Volume, or how loudly you speak
You may also work on other areas of communication, such as:
- Language, or the words you use
- Speech sound production, or how clearly you say sounds
- The social rules of communication, called pragmatics
It can take some time to change your voice and the way you talk with others. SLPs can help you make the changes that help you feel good about the way you communicate.
Other Resources
To find a speech-language pathologist near you, visit
ProFind.