Changes in Speech of Spastic Dysarthric Patients Before and After Treatment Based on Perceptual Analysis

Abstract

This study examined changes in the speech of spastic dysarthric patients after treatment using perceptual analysis. The twenty-four dysarthric subjects (mean age : 61.6 years) secondary to cerebrovascular accident had enrolled in individual speech therapy for more than two months. The results are summarized as follows:
(1) The dimensions showing greatest decrease (improvement), with a scale value of more than 0.6 after treatment, were Intelligibility, Distorted vowels, Imprecise consonants, Bizarreness, Rate--slow, Loudness decay, and Monopitch and monoloudness.
(2) Improvement in severity (sum of the scale values of Bizarreness and Intelligibility) after treatment was observed for 16 of 24 patients (70%), and a prominent improvement was noted for 7 patients.
(3) The more profoundly speech performance was impaired before treatment, the more improvement was obtained.
(4) On the other hand, a gain (deterioration), with a scale value of 0.6 after treatment, was seen in dimensions of Prolonged intervals, Strange-strangled voice, Pitch level--High, etc.
(5) The dimensions in which improvement was shown and degree of improvement varied from patient to patient.
(6) Implications of perceptual analysis of dysarthric speech on measurement of efficacy of treatment were discussed.