Dysarthria

About: Dysarthria is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2402 publications have been published within this topic receiving 56554 citations.

Treatment efficacy: dysarthria

Abstract: The dysarthrias form a group of diverse, chronic motor speech disorders. The disorders of Parkinson's disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and cerebral palsy are reviewed because they represent important clinical diagnoses in which dysarthria is a frequent and debilitating symptom. The roles played by speech-language pathologists include participation in differential diagnosis, provision of speech treatment, staging of treatment, and timely education so that clients and families can make informed decisions about communication alternatives. Both scientific and clinical evidence is presented that suggests that individuals with dysarthria benefit from the services of speech-language pathologists. Group-treatment studies, single-subject studies, and case reports illustrate the effectiveness of various types of speech treatment. Research into the effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication systems for individuals with cerebral palsy is also presented.

The effects of familiarization on intelligibility and lexical segmentation in hypokinetic and ataxic dysarthria

Abstract: This study is the third in a series that has explored the source of intelligibility decrement in dysarthria by jointly considering signal characteristics and the cognitive–perceptual processes employed by listeners. A paradigm of lexical boundary error analysis was used to examine this interface by manipulating listener constraints with a brief familiarization procedure. If familiarization allows listeners to extract relevant segmental and suprasegmental information from dysarthric speech, they should obtain higher intelligibility scores than nonfamiliarized listeners, and their lexical boundary error patterns should approximate those obtained in misperceptions of normal speech. Listeners transcribed phrases produced by speakers with either hypokinetic or ataxic dysarthria after being familiarized with other phrases produced by these speakers. Data were compared to those of nonfamiliarized listeners [Liss et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 107, 3415–3424 (2000)]. The familiarized groups obtained higher intelligibility scores than nonfamiliarized groups, and the effects were greater when the dysarthria type of the familiarization procedure matched the dysarthria type of the transcription task. Remarkably, no differences in lexical boundary error patterns were discovered between the familiarized and nonfamiliarized groups. Transcribers of the ataxic speech appeared to have difficulty distinguishing strong and weak syllables in spite of the familiarization. Results suggest that intelligibility decrements arise from the perceptual challenges posed by the degraded segmental and suprasegmental aspects of the signal, but that this type of familiarization process may differentially facilitate mapping segmental information onto existing phonological categories.

Speech problems affect more than one in two children with cerebral palsy: Swedish population-based study

Abstract: Aim: To describe speech ability in a population-based study of children with cerebral palsy(CP), in relation to CP subtype, motor function, cognitive level and neuroimaging findings. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 129 children (66 girls, 63 boys) with CP, born in1999–2002, was carried out. Speech ability and background information, such as type ofCP, motor function, cognitive level and neuroimaging data, were collected and analysed. Results: Speech disorders were found in 21% of the children and were present in all typesof CP. Forty-one per cent of the children with speech disorders also had mental retardation,and 42% were able to walk independently. A further 32% of the children were nonverbal,and maldevelopment and basal ganglia lesions were most common in this group. Theremaining 47% had no speech disorders, and this group was most likely to display whitematter lesions of immaturity. Conclusion: More than half of the children in this CP cohort had a speech disorder (21%)or were nonverbal (32%). Speech ability was related to the type of CP, gross motorfunction, the presence of mental retardation and the localization of brain maldevelopmentand lesions. Neuroimaging results differed between the three speech ability groups.INTRODUCTIONCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motordisability in children, affecting around two of every 1000children born alive in western Sweden (1,2). Children withCP often have speech, language and/or communicationdisorders (3). However, reports on the prevalence ofcommunication disorders, including speech disorders suchas dysarthria, are scarce and studies differ considerablywhen it comes to how they describe the speech abilities ofchildren with CP. Four recent large-scale studies, fromNorway, Sweden, Iceland and Western Australia report thatimpaired speech occurs in around 20% of children with CP.These studies are briefly compared in Table 1 (4–7). In theNorwegian study (4), children with CP were classified intothree speech ability groups, while the studies from Sweden(5) and Iceland (6) made the distinction between verbal andnonverbal children with CP. The report from the CP registerof Western Australia (7) did not describe how speech wasclassified.In an international study, Hidecker (8) demonstrated thata variety of definitions are used by CP registers around theworld. The lack of common definitions and criteria makes itdifficult to interpret the results in the four studies fromNorway, Sweden, Iceland and Western Australia regardingthe occurrence of speech disorders (Table 1). Furthermore,the types and severity of CP, as well as accompanyingimpairments, vary between the studies. This is due todifferences in inclusion criteria, diagnostic criteria andclassification.Speech production involves respiration, together withlaryngeal, velopharyngeal and articulatory movements, andany of these functions may be hampered in CP. Motordisorders affecting speech include dysarthria/anarthria anddyspraxia/apraxia of speech. Dysarthria is characterized byslow, weak, imprecise and/or uncoordinated movements ofthe speech musculature (9,10), and less is known about howit affects children than adults (11,12). Apraxia/dyspraxia ischaracterized by a disturbance in the motor planning andprogramming of speech movements (13). Stuttering is

Vowel acoustics in Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis: comparison of clear, loud, and slow speaking conditions.

Abstract: Purpose The impact of clear speech, increased vocal intensity, and rate reduction on acoustic characteristics of vowels was compared in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with multipl...

Neurological andadrenal dysfunction intheadrenal insufficiency/al acrima/achalasia (3A)syndrome

Abstract: Reviewof20patients withglucocorticoid deficiency (three casesalsowithsaltloss) associated withabsent tearsecretion (19 cases) andachalasia ofthecardia (15cases) revealed neurological abnormalities in17 including hyper-reflexia, muscleweakness, dysarthria, andataxia together withimpaired intelligence andabnormal autonomic function, particularly postural hypotension. Thesefindings indicate that significant neurological problemsarecommoninthis multisystem disorder. (Arch DisChild 1993; 68:779-782)