Abstract
This paper investigates the efficacy of therapeutic intervention for 46 patients, suffering from dysphagia due to neurological disorders, and the relationship between swallowing and articulatory functions. The results are as follows. (1) 28 patients achieved sufficient recovery of the swallowing function. (2) Age, time elapsed between onset and admission, the duration of intervention, and the severity of dysphagia were unrelated to recovery. Only problems of cognitive function affected the outcome of intervention. (3) There was no significant correlation between the swallowing function, based on Fujishima's swallowing function grade, and intelligibility of speech. Oral preparatory functions in swallowing significantly correlated with articulation. These findings suggest that the swallowing function and articulatory function consist of common factors and their own particular factors and thus that therapeutic intervention might require distinct strategies for each.
