The first € price and the £ and $ price are net prices, subject to local VAT. Prices indicated with * include VAT for books; the €(D) includes 7% for Germany, the €(A) includes 10% for Austria. Prices indicated with ** include VAT for electronic products; 19% for Germany, 20% for Austria. All prices exclusive of carriage charges. Prices and other details are subject to change without notice. All errors and omissions excepted. A.C. Michalos (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between scaled speech intelligibility and selected acoustic variables in persons with dysarthria. Control speakers and speakers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD) produced sentences which were analyzed acoustically and perceptually. The acoustic variables included total utterance durations, segment durations, estimates of the acoustic vowel space, and slopes of formant transitions; the perceptual variables included scaled speech intelligibility and severity of speech involvement. Results indicated that the temporal variables typically differentiated the ALS group, but not the PD group, from the controls, and that vowel spaces were smaller for both neurogenic groups as compared to controls, but only significantly so for the ALS speakers. The relation of these acoustic measures to scaled speech intelligibility is shown to be complex, and the composite results are discussed in terms of sentence vs. single-word intelligibility estimates and their underlying acoustic bases.

The acoustic and intelligibility characteristics of sentence production in neurogenic speech Disorders

Background: Discourse abilities play an important role in the assessment, classification, and therapy outcome evaluation of people with aphasia. Discourse production in aphasia has been studied quite extensively in the last 15 years. Nevertheless, many questions still do not have definitive answers.Aims: The aim of this review is to present the current situation in the research on a number of crucial aspects of discourse production in aphasia, focusing on methodological progress and related challenges. This review continues the discussion of the core themes in the field, aiming to render it as up-to-date as possible.Main Contribution: The review focuses on a number of unexplored theoretical issues, specifically, the interface between micro- and macrolinguistic abilities, and the relationship between linguistic competence and communicative success in aphasia. The emphasis on theoretical challenges, along with the thorough discussion of methodological problems in the field, makes this review a starting poin...

Discourse production in aphasia: a current review of theoretical and methodological challenges

What speech can tell us: A systematic review of dysarthria characteristics in Multiple Sclerosis.

We explored themes in recent post-stroke dysphagia literature, focusing on the following questions: (1) What does post-stroke dysphagia look like?; (2) Who gets post-stroke dysphagia?; (3) What are the consequences of post-stroke dysphagia?; and (4) How can we improve treatment of post-stroke dysphagia? There have been several improvements in quantitative descriptions of swallowing physiology using standard and new evaluation techniques. These descriptions have been correlated with lesion locations, and several factors can predict development of post-stroke dysphagia and its sequelae. Novel treatment paradigms have leveraged post-stroke neuroplastic improvements using neurostimulation and biofeedback techniques. Despite recent findings, the field is limited by lack of standardization and unanswered questions on rehabilitation variables. Our improved understanding of post-stroke dysphagia will enhance our ability to prevent, identify, and treat it. Future work should be grounded in swallowing physiology and continue refining treatments, particularly in the acute stage.

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Post-stroke Dysphagia: Recent Insights and Unanswered Questions

Relationship Between Quality of Life and Dysarthria in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Dysphagia is common after stroke, requiring exclusive enteral feeding in 20% of patients. Recovery of oral feeding is associated with increased quality of life, better functional outcomes, and decreased mortality rates. However, evidence is heterogeneous and not conclusive on which factors are predictive of oral feeding recovery for stroke patients in rehabilitation units. Aim: To investigate predictors of complete oral feeding recovery. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Intensive inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Population: Poststroke dysphagic individuals with enteral feeding. Methods: Retrospective chart review of demographic, clinical, rehabilitation, and swallowing factors. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression analysis were used to compare variables between the oral feeding recovery group and the enteral feeding group at discharge. Results: One hundred thirty-nine patients were included in the analysis. A total of 61.9% of the sample population resumed complete oral intake at discharge. There were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in Functional Independence Measure cognitive score, clinical swallow evaluation, and instrumental swallow evaluation at admittance, and dysphagia rehabilitation. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified the absence of aspiration signs with liquids associated with a higher probability of the resumption of complete oral feeding (odds ratio [OR] 3.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-11.89). Age between 73 and 79 years (OR .96; 95% CI .01-.58), the presence of aspiration and/or penetration (OR .22; 95% CI .07-.72), and the presence of residue (OR .14; 95%CI .04-.43) during fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing presented lower probability of returning to complete oral feeding. Conclusion: Several demographic and swallowing characteristics predicted oral feeding recovery. Absence of dysphagia signs documented on fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing was the strongest predictor of complete oral feeding resumption.

/pdf/predictors-of-oral-feeding-resumption-after-stroke-in-a-47zag6vzor.pdf

Predictors of Oral Feeding Resumption after Stroke in a Rehabilitation Hospital: A Retrospective Study

Introduction The use of commercially available automatic speech recognition (ASR) software is challenged when dysarthria accompanies a physical disability. To overcome this issue, a mobile and personal speech assistant (mPASS) platform was developed, using a speaker-dependent ASR software. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the proposed platform and to compare mPASS recognition accuracy to a commercial speaker-independent ASR software. In addition, secondary aims were to investigate the relationship between severity of dysarthria and accuracy and to explore people with dysarthria perceptions on the proposed platform. Methods Fifteen individuals with dysarthric speech and 20 individuals with nondysarthric speech recorded 24 words and 5 sentences in a clinical environment. Differences in recognition accuracy between the two systems were evaluated. In addition, mPASS usability was assessed with a technology acceptance model (TAM) questionnaire. Results In both groups, mean accuracy rates were significantly higher with mPASS compared to the commercial ASR for words and for sentences. mPASS reached good levels of usefulness and ease of use according to the TAM questionnaire. Conclusions Practical applicability of this technology is realistic: the mPASS platform is accurate, and it could be easily used by individuals with dysarthria.

Evaluation of an Automatic Speech Recognition Platform for Dysarthric Speech

Background: Impairment of communicative-linguistic and cognitive functions is common after stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). While assessment of language function is usually performed in clinical practice, standardised assessment of pragmatic, functional, and communicative competences is less common, even though suggested by many recent national and international guidelines. The “American Speech-Language and Hearing Association—Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for adults” (ASHA-FACS) is a measure of communication disability that investigates functional communication. It has been translated and adapted into Italian in 2001, but psychometric properties of Italian version of ASHA-FACS (I-ASHA-FACS) have not yet been investigated.Aims: To investigate psychometric properties of the I-ASHA-FACS scale and provide normative data.Methods & Procedures: Participants included 100 healthy adult persons without neurological disorders nor communicative-cognitive deficits and 80 post-acute outpatients...

Validation of the Italian version of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association—Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for adults (I-ASHA-FACS)

Marco Gilardone

Papers

Relationship Between Quality of Life and Dysarthria in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Predictors of Oral Feeding Resumption after Stroke in a Rehabilitation Hospital: A Retrospective Study

Evaluation of an Automatic Speech Recognition Platform for Dysarthric Speech

Validation of the Italian version of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association—Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for adults (I-ASHA-FACS)

The Vocal Score Profile in Verdi's Characters