Showing papers on "Dysarthria published in 2001"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between scaled speech intelligibility and selected acoustic variables in persons with dysarthria and found that the relationship was not as strong as that of control speakers and speakers with amyotrophobia.
Abstract: 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 amyotroph
270 citations
Journal Article•
143 citations
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that speaking loudly is associated with a spatial and temporal organization that closely resembles that used in habitual speech, which may contribute to the success of the LSVT.
Abstract: Increasing phonatory effort, an integral component of the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, LSVT, has been identified as an effective management strategy for adults with hypokinetic dysarthria associated with Parkinsonism. The present study compares the effects of increased loudness on lower lip movements to those of changes in speaking rate, another approach to the treatment of hypokinetic dysarthria. Movements of the lower lip/jaw during speech were recorded from 8 adults with IPD, 8 healthy aged adults, and 8 young adults. The spatiotemporal index (STI), a measure of spatial and temporal variability, revealed that for all speaker groups slow rate was associated with the most variability. Compared to the other conditions, STI values from the loud condition were closest to those from habitual speech. Also, the normalized movement pattern for the loud condition resembled that of habitual speech. It is hypothesized that speaking loudly is associated with a spatial and temporal organization that closely resembles that used in habitual speech, which may contribute to the success of the LSVT.
109 citations
TL;DR: The findings indicate that patients with subcortical disease, at least those with HD, may present with language production deficits and that these deficits are most likely the product of not only motor speech limitations but also underlying cognitive impairments.
79 citations
TL;DR: Extracerebellar infarcts causing dysarthria were located in all patients along the course of the pyramidal tract, and correlates with the frequent occurrence of associated pyramsidal tract signs in 90.7% of patients.
Abstract: Background and purpose: Although dysarthria is a frequent symptom in cerebral ischemia, there is little information on its anatomic specificity, spectrum of associated clinical characteristics, and etiologic mechanisms. Methods: An investigation of 68 consecutive patients with sudden onset of dysarthria due to a single infarction confirmed by MRI or CT was conducted. Results: Dysarthria was associated with a classic lacunar stroke syndrome in 52.9% of patients. Isolated dysarthria and dysarthria–central facial and lingual paresis occurred in 2.9% (n = 2) and 10.3% (n = 7), respectively. Dysarthria–clumsy hand syndrome was observed in 11.7% (n = 8) of patients and associated with pure motor hemiparesis and/or ataxic hemiparesis in 27.9% (n = 19). The lesions were due to small-vessel disease in 52.9% (n = 36), to cardioembolism in 11.8% (n = 8), and to large-vessel disease in only 4.4% (n = 3) of cases. Infarctions were located in the lower part of the primary motor cortex (5.9%; n = 4), middle part of the centrum semiovale (23.5%; n = 16), genu and ventral part of the dorsal segment of the internal capsule (8.8%; n = 6), cerebral peduncle (1.5%; n = 1), base of the pons (30.9%; n = 21), and ventral pontomedullary junction (1.5%; n = 1). Isolated cerebellar infarctions affected the rostral paravermal region in the superior cerebellar artery territory. Conclusions: Extracerebellar infarcts causing dysarthria were located in all patients along the course of the pyramidal tract. This finding correlates with the frequent occurrence of associated pyramidal tract signs in 90.7% (n = 62) of patients. Isolated cerebellar infarcts leading to dysarthria were in all cases located in the territory of the superior cerebellar artery.
78 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe orofacial dysfunction observed in a prospective, multidisciplinary study of individuals with Mobius sequence, which is a rare congenital disorder with the primary diagnostic criteria of congenital facial and abducens nerve palsy.
70 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between F0 variability and intelligibility in persons with motor speech disorders and found that the contribution of F0 to intelligibility may be significant even when the F0 range is severely restricted.
Abstract: This study explored the relationship between F0 variability and intelligibility in persons with motor speech disorders. The literature suggests that monopitch may have detrimental effects on the intelligibility of individuals with dysarthria (and other speech disorders), but few studies have examined the independent effect of a flat F0 contour on intelligibility in speakers with articulatory difficulties. An LPC resynthesis technique was used to reduce the speakers' sentence F0 range by 25%, 50% and 100% (flattened F0). Two dysarthric speaker groups were evaluated, one with prosodic inadequacy and imprecise articulation (hypokinetic) and one with imprecise articulation only (UUMN). Speech intelligibility was assessed using a word transcription task and an interval-scaling task. Results argue strongly for the perceptual importance of sentence-level F0 variations on speech intelligibility even when the F0 range is severely restricted. Results also suggest that the contribution of F0 to intelligibility may v...
65 citations
TL;DR: This study examined the effects of supplemental cues on the intelligibility of unrelated sentences and related sentences (narratives) produced by 4 women with severe dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of supplemental cues on the intelligibility of unrelated sentences and related sentences (narratives) produced by 4 women with severe dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy. Visual images containing alphabet, topic, combined (alphabet and topic together), and no cues were imposed in real time on audio speech samples and presented to 72 nondisabled listeners. Statistical results showed that cue conditions had similar effects on unrelated and on related sentence intelligibility. Combined cues resulted in higher intelligibility scores than any other cue condition, no cues resulted in lower intelligibility scores than any other cue condition, and alphabet cues yielded higher intelligibility scores than topic cues. Intelligibility of related and unrelated sentences differed only for alphabet cues where related sentences had greater intelligibility than unrelated sentences. Results are discussed relative to the quantity and type of cues.
64 citations
TL;DR: There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of speech and language therapy for dysarthria in Parkinson's disease as intelligibility of speech was not measured in any of these studies.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Dysarthria is a common manifestation of Parkinson's disease which increases in frequency and intensity with the progress of the disease (Streifler 1984). Up to 20% of Parkinsonian patients are referred for speech and language therapy (S & L T), its aim being to improve the intelligibility of the patient's speech. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of speech and language therapy versus placebo or no interventions in patients with Parkinson's disease. SEARCH STRATEGY: Relevant trials were identified by electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ISI-SCI, AMED, MANTIS, REHABDATA, REHADAT, GEROLIT, Pascal, LILACS, MedCarib, JICST-EPlus, AIM, IMEMR, SIGLE, ISI-ISTP, DISSABS, Conference Papers Index, Aslib Index to Theses, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the CentreWatch Clinical Trials listing service, the metaRegister of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, CRISP, PEDro, NIDRR and NRR; and examination of the reference lists of identified studies and other reviews. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomised controlled trials (RCT) were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were abstracted independently by KD and RW and differences settled by discussion. MAIN RESULTS: Three randomised controlled trials were found comparing speech and language therapy with placebo for speech disorders in Parkinson's disease. A total of 63 patients were examined. The loudness of the patients' voices were increased by between 7-18%, depending on the speaking task being performed. It is likely that this is a clinically significant improvement. After six months the degree of improvement was reduced but was still statistically significant. Overall measures of dysarthria were measured in two trials and also improved. The clinical significance of these improvements was less clear cut as intelligibility of speech was not measured in any of these studies. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Considering the small number of patients examined, the methodological flaws in many of the studies, and the possibility of publication bias, there is insufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of speech and language therapy for dysarthria in Parkinson's disease. A Delphi-style survey is needed to develop a consensus as to what is 'standard' S< for dysarthria in Parkinson's disease. Then a large well designed placebo-controlled RCT is needed to demonstrate speech and language therapy's effectiveness for dysarthria in Parkinson's disease. The trial should conform to CONSORT guidelines. Outcome measures with particular relevance to patients should be chosen and the patients followed for at least 6 months to determine the duration of any improvement.
63 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: Dysarthria Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Incidence, Recovery, and Perceptual Features, and Treatment of Dysarthria in Adults and Children Following Traumat Brain Injury.
Abstract: Introduction: Epidemiology, Neuropathophysiology and Medical Aspects of Traumatic Brain Injury. Section I: Motor Speech Disorders Following Traumatic Brain injury. Dysarthria Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Incidence, Recovery, and Perceptual Features. Articulatory Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Velopharyngeal Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain injury. Laryngeal Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Speech Breathing Impairments Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Dysarthria Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Childhood. Treatment of Dysarthria in Adults and Children Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Section II: Language Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Linguistic Deficits In Adults Subsequent to Traumatic Brain Injury. Discourse Production in Traumatic Brain Injury. Language Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury In Childhood. Treatment of Language Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Childhood. Section III: Swallowing Disorders Subsequent to Traumatic Brain Injury. Swallowing: Neuroanatomical and Physiological Framework. Dysphagia Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Adults and Children: Assessment and Characteristics. Rehabilitation of Dysphagia Following Traumatic Brain Injury.
63 citations
TL;DR: This review considers data from published imaging studies as well as data from selected medical interventions to evaluate the current state of knowledge that relates lesion site to the nature of a speech disturbance.
Abstract: More than 30 years ago, Darley, Aronson, and Brown (1969) proposed clinicoanatomic correlations for seven perceptual types of dysarthria. These correlations have not been systematically re-examined even though imaging technologies developed in recent years provide the means to do so. This review considers data from published imaging studies as well as data from selected medical interventions to evaluate the current state of knowledge that relates lesion site to the nature of a speech disturbance. Although the extant data are not sufficient to allow a complete evaluation of the seven types of dysarthria described by Darley et al., relevant information has been reported on lesions of the pyramidal pathway, extrapyramidal pathway, and cerebellum. In general, the results are best explained by an equivalence mode of brain-behavior relationship in which a type of dysarthria is associated with a lesion in one of two or more brain structures. Criteria also are proposed for future studies of clinicoanatomic relationships in neurogenic communication disorders.
TL;DR: The results indicated that the Prototype Swedish DragonDictate (PSDD) system adapted well to the speech of individuals with mild and moderate dysarthria, but the recognition scores were lower than for a natural speaker.
Abstract: This study describes the feasibility of using speech recognition as a text input method for speakers with different degrees of dysarthria. The project investigated two different types of speech recognition systems: Prototype Swedish DragonDictate (PSDD), a speaker-adaptive phoneme-based system, and Infovox RA, a speaker-dependent, whole-word pattern-matching system. Individuals with mild and moderate dysarthria trained and then used 45 command words to input text independently into the PSDD. The results indicated that the PSDD system adapted well to the speech of individuals with mild and moderate dysarthria, but the recognition scores were lower than for a natural speaker. The PSDD system also adapted to the speech of two participants with different degrees of severe dysarthria, but they were unable to use this system independently. On the Infovox RA system, there was a wide range in the mean recognition scores for participants with dysarthria, whereas the natural speaker reached almost 100%. The recogni...
TL;DR: This study explored the relationship between perception of a high-low vowel contrast and its acoustic correlates in tokens produced by persons with motor speech disorders by using an intelligibility test designed by Kent, Weismer, Kent, and Rosenbek (1989a) and showed that theoustic characteristics of tongue-height errors were not clearly differentiated from the acoustic characteristics of targets.
Abstract: This study was designed to explore the relationship between perception of a high-low vowel contrast and its acoustic correlates in tokens produced by persons with motor speech disorders. An intelli...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, speaking rate, articulation rate, and speech/pause ratio were measured in a total of 72 patients with a variety of dysarthria: six with the flaccid type, 16 with spastic type, 17 ataxic type, 8 hypokinetic type, 2 hyperkinetic type; 12 mixed type, and 11 with the unilateral upper motor neuron type.
Abstract: We studied speaking rate and its components in a total of 72 patients with a variety of dysarthria: six with the flaccid type; 16 with spastic type; 17 ataxic type; 8 hypokinetic type; 2 hyperkinetic type; 12 mixed type; and 11 with the unilateral upper motor neuron type. We measured speaking rate, articulation rate, and speech/pause ratio. All patients except one showed a slower speaking rate, and all of the dysarthric groups showed significantly slower rates as compared to the control group. The present data indicate that speaking rate is a sensitive measure of abnormal motor speech performance in all types of dysarthria. However, abnormality in articulation rate was not found in flaccid and hypokinetic dysarthria. In addition, the relationship between speaking rate and articulation rate was not significant in these two groups. These results indicate that speaking rate is not necessarily related to articulation rate in some types of dysarthria, and the clinical measurement of speaking rate needs to incl...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It was concluded that the control of force in complex motor sequences involving speech and limb movement is affected by a common deficit in the frontostriatal circuit.
Abstract: Objective This study examined progressive speech intensity decay using two speech tasks: sustained vowel phonation (Experiment 1) and sentence reading (Experiment 2). Background Parkinsonian speech intensity has often been clinically observed to fade out or trail off. This gradual diminution of intensity is not unlike the well-documented progressive reduction of force underlying (upper limb) micrographic parkinsonian handwriting and (lower limb) marche a petit pas. Motor instability in speech intensity has yet to be investigated in a controlled experimental setting, however. Method Thirteen Parkinson disease (PD) patients and their matched controls participated in Experiment 1: data from 6 PD patients and controls who naturally (i.e., without prior instruction) read the target sentence within a breath span were included in the analysis for Experiment 2. Participants were instructed to inhale maximally before vocalizing, and the extent of intensity declination over the breath span was measured. Results Parkinson disease patients demonstrated a consistently greater level of progressive intensity decay compared with matched controls for both speech tasks. This successful documentation and analysis of fading speech was interpreted as evidence for motor instability within the speech motor system in PD. Conclusions It was concluded that the control of force in complex motor sequences involving speech and limb movement is affected by a common deficit in the frontostriatal circuit.
TL;DR: Comparison of the TBI group's results against data obtained from a group of 20 age and sex matched control subjects revealed reductions in tongue endurance and rate of repetitive movement, but Tongue strength and fine pressure control were found not to differ significantly from the control group.
Abstract: A tongue pressure transducer system was used to assess tongue strength, endurance, fine pressure control and rate of repetitive movement in a group of 20 individuals, aged 17 to 60 years, with dysarthria following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Comparison of the TBI group's results against data obtained from a group of 20 age and sex matched control subjects revealed reductions in tongue endurance and rate of repetitive movement. Tongue strength and fine pressure control, however, were found not to differ significantly from the control group. Pearson's product-moment correlations indicated there to be only weak correlations between the physiological nonspeech tongue parameters and the deviant perceptual articulatory features exhibited by the TBI group. Further analysis of the results on an individual subject basis revealed no clear relationships between the physiological and perceptual parameters suggesting that the TBI subjects may have been compensating in different ways for the physiological impairments.
TL;DR: There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of any given form of S & LT over another to treat dysarthria in Parkinson's disease.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:
Patients with Parkinson's disease commonly suffer from speech and voice difficulties such as impaired articulation and reduced loudness. Speech and language therapy (SLT) aims to improve the intelligibility of speech with behavioural treatment techniques or instrumental aids.
OBJECTIVES:
To compare the efficacy and effectiveness of novel SLT techniques versus a standard SLT approach to treat Parkinsonian speech problems.
SEARCH METHODS:
We identified relevant, published prior to 11(th) April 2011, by electronic searches of numerous literature databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE and CINAHL, as well as handsearching relevant conference abstracts and examining reference lists in identified studies and other reviews.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Only randomised controlled trials (RCT) of one type of speech and language therapy versus another were included.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
Two review authors independently extracted data and resolved differences by discussion.
MAIN RESULTS:
Six trials involving 159 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria. Data could not be analysed from one trial due to changes in patient numbers and from a second because the data provided were not in a usable format. All trials reported intelligibility measures but a statistically significant result was only reported for the diagnostic rhyme test used in the study of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment -LOUD (LSVT-LOUD) versus a modified version of this therapy (LSVT-ARTIC). In this case a difference of 12.5 points (95% confidence interval (CI) -22.2 to -2.8; P = 0.01) between the mean changes in favour of the LSVT-LOUD group was reported for a speech sample overlaid with Babble noise; this difference was not reproduced for the two additional noise conditions under which the speech samples were assessed. LSVT-LOUD also outperformed LSVT-ARTIC and Respiration therapy (RT) in improving loudness, with a difference in reading a sample text of 5.0 dB (95%CI -8.3 to -1.7; P = 0.003) and 5.5 dB (95% CI 3.4 to 7.7; P < 0.00001) respectively, and a difference in monologue speech of 2.9 dB (95% CI 0.6 to 5.2; P = 0.01) versus RT.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
Considering the small patient numbers in these trials, there is insufficient evidence to support or refute the efficacy of any form of SLT over another to treat speech problems in patients with Parkinson's disease.
TL;DR: The hypokinetic dysarthria of progressive supranuclear palsy may result from degenerativeChanges in the substantia nigra pars compacta and pars reticulata and not from changes in the striatum or globus pallidus.
Abstract: Background The dysarthria of progressive supranuclear palsy consists of prominent hypokinetic and spastic components with less prominent ataxic components. Objective To correlate the types of dysarthria with neuropathological changes in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. Design and Methods In 14 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, we correlated the perceptual speech findings with the neuropathological findings. A dysarthria assessment was performed a mean ± SD of 31 ± 15 months (range, 10-53 months) before death. The deviant speech dimensions were rated on a scale of 0 (normal) to 3 (severe). The neuropathological examination consisted of semiquantitative analysis of neuronal loss and gliosis by investigators (A.A.F.S., and L.A.B.) blinded to the clinical findings. Correlation and linear regression analysis were used to correlate the severity of the hypokinetic, spastic, and ataxic components with the degree of neuronal loss and gliosis in predetermined anatomical sites. Results All patients had hypokinetic and spastic dysarthria, and 9 also had ataxic components. The severity of the hypokinetic components was significantly correlated with the degree of neuronal loss and gliosis in the substantia nigra pars compacta ( r = 0.61, P = .02) and pars reticulata ( r = 0.64, P = .01) but not in the subthalamic nucleus ( r = 0.51, P = .07) or the striatum or globus pallidus (/ r / P >.20). The severity of the spastic and ataxic components was not significantly correlated with the neuropathological changes in the frontal cortex ( r = 0.20, P = .50) and cerebellum (/ r / P >.33), respectively. Conclusion The hypokinetic dysarthria of progressive supranuclear palsy may result from degenerative changes in the substantia nigra pars compacta and pars reticulata and not from changes in the striatum or globus pallidus.
TL;DR: The results indicate not only the value of the therapy but also a realistic and viable programme for clients to carry out at home.
Abstract: Although there are many accounts of appropriate oro-facial and articulation exercises and treatment hierarchies for clients with dysarthria following stroke, there is little evidence relating to the efficacy of such therapy and little or no information indicating either the extent or the frequency with which these exercises should be practised for optimum effect. This study investigates the efficacy of such traditional therapy for eight clients. A clinic-based therapy programme and an exercise routine for home practice was agreed by a group of speech and language therapists. The results indicate not only the value of the therapy but also a realistic and viable programme for clients to carry out at home.
TL;DR: It was suggested that each syllable component could represent a separate function and contribute differently to the decreased AMRs in these dysarthric groups.
Abstract: Acoustic analysis was conducted to investigate symptomatic differences in decreased oral alternating motion rates (AMRs) between individuals with spastic and with ataxic dysarthria. The subjects were 6 individuals with spastic dysarthria, 6 with ataxic dysarthria and 6 normal speakers. Monosyllables /pa/ and /ta/ were used to examine alternating motions of the lips and tongue, respectively. In the decreased AMRs of the spastic group, the mean syllable durations were generally longer in the individuals where the mean total syllable durations were longer, and in the decreased AMRs of the ataxic group, the mean gap durations were generally longer in the individuals where the mean total syllable durations were longer. It was suggested that each syllable component could represent a separate function and contribute differently to the decreased AMRs in these dysarthric groups.
TL;DR: Ten prosodic parameters in structured and unstructured speech tasks (reading and conversation) in 12 dysarthric and 12 control subjects are investigated and the results suggest that the nature of sampling task affected Dysarthric speakers differently to the control group.
Abstract: Speech assessments are commonly based on structured elicitation tasks. Despite the value of these tasks, the extent to which their results are a valid reflection of natural speech performance is being increasingly questioned. This is particularly warranted in the light of research findings indicating significant differences in normal speech behaviour across sampling tasks. There is, however, a paucity of research into how disordered speakers' performance varies across elicitation tasks. This study investigated ten prosodic parameters in structured and unstructured speech tasks (reading and conversation) in 12 dysarthric and 12 control subjects. The results suggest that the nature of sampling task affected dysarthric speakers differently to the control group. The implications of these findings for the assessment of disordered speakers are addressed.
TL;DR: Measurements of several acoustic attributes of the fricative consonant /s/ produced in word-initial position by normally speaking adults and by speakers with neuromotor dysfunctions show the best correlation with intelligibility and perceptual ratings.
Abstract: This paper reports on measurements of several acoustic attributes of the fricative consonant /s/ produced in word-initial position by normally speaking adults and by speakers with neuromotor dysfun...
TL;DR: The posterior stop [k] presented the greatest measurement difficulties for the dysarthric subjects, which is in accordance with previous perceptual reports on dysarthria.
Abstract: Voice onset time (VOT) reflects the timing control between laryngeal and supralaryngeal adjustments. It has been studied both in normal speakers and patients with speech disorders, but very little inf
TL;DR: The short-term efficacy of the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) and the short- and long- term efficacy of LSVT exercises combined with respiration treatment and physical therapy (Combination Tre...
Abstract: The short-term efficacy of the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) and the short- and long-term efficacy of LSVT exercises combined with respiration treatment and physical therapy (Combination Tre...
TL;DR: This article examined listener attitudes toward three speech supplementation strategies (topic cues, alphabet cues, and combined topic and alphabet cues) associated with the speech of four individuals with severe dysarthria.
Abstract: This study examined listener attitudes toward three speech supplementation strategies (topic cues, alphabet cues, and combined topic and alphabet cues) associated with the speech of four individuals with severe dysarthria. Listeners saw experimentally imposed visual images of each strategy in conjunction with auditory presentation of the habitual speech of four individuals with dysarthria. Using a 7-point Likert scale, listeners rated how effective they thought the speakers were, how willing they would be to communicate with the speakers, and how persistent they were in trying to understand the speakers in each strategy condition and a control condition in which no cues were provided. The results revealed that ratings of communication effectiveness, willingness to communicate with the speakers, and listener persistence were each more favorable in the combined cues condition than in any other cue condition. The results suggest that augmentative and alternative communication strategies providing frequent an...
TL;DR: Clinical and radiologic findings demonstrated a similarity and continuum between congenital suprabulbar paresis (Worster-Drought syndrome) and perisylvian syndrome.
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: The focus of this article is on an aeromechanical approach to understanding, evaluating, and treating the moderate-severe dysarthrias in children with traumatic brain injury.
Abstract: Background In addition to cognitive, linguistic, neurobehavioral, and physical challenges, children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury can have a dysarthria that compromises intelligibility and speaking effort. Objective The focus of this article is on an aeromechanical approach to understanding, evaluating, and treating the moderate-severe dysarthrias in these children.
TL;DR: More systematic studies involving acoustic speech measures related to prosodic disturbance will be required to answer questions raised by this study about the nature of intonation in cerebral palsy.
Abstract: Fundamental frequency (F 0 ) contours provide an acoustic measure that correlates closely with speech intonation. Abnormal intonation patterns have been described as a common feature of dysarthric speech of various origins, including cerebral palsy. However, acoustic descriptions of intonation in dysarthria associated with cerebral palsy are difficult to find. Hence a small exploratory investigation was conducted to describe fundamental frequency patterns of read sentences for three speakers with cerebral palsy and compare them with patterns for normal speakers. Results showed that F 0 variation (as measured by normalized range of F 0 ) for two of the cerebral palsied speakers overlapped that for the normal speakers, and was marginally lower for one cerebral palsied speaker. Fundamental frequency contours for the cerebral palsied speakers appeared to have characteristics that generally were different from the patterns for the normal speakers, and also were different from each other. More systematic studie...