French adaptation of the "Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment 2" speech intelligibility test

Do Acoustic Characteristics of Dysarthria in People With Parkinson's Disease Differ Across Languages?

PURPOSE

Cross-language studies suggest more similarities than differences in how dysarthria affects the speech of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) who speak different languages. In this study, we aimed to identify the relative contribution of acoustic variables to distinguish PwPD from controls who spoke varieties of two Romance languages, French and Portuguese.

METHOD

This bi-national, cross-sectional, and case-controlled study included 129 PwPD and 124 healthy controls who spoke French or Portuguese. All participants underwent the same clinical examinations, voice/speech recordings, and self-assessment questionnaires. PwPD were evaluated off and on optimal medication. Inferential analyses included Disease (controls vs. PwPD) and Language (French vs. Portuguese) as factors, and random decision forest algorithms identified relevant acoustic variables able to distinguish participants: (a) by language (French vs. Portuguese) and (b) by clinical status (PwPD on and off medication vs. controls).

RESULTS

French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking individuals were distinguished from each other with over 90% accuracy by five acoustic variables (the mean fundamental frequency and the shimmer of the sustained vowel /a/ production, the oral diadochokinesis performance index, the relative sound level pressure and the relative sound pressure level standard deviation of the text reading). A distinct set of parameters discriminated between controls and PwPD: for men, maximum phonation time and the oral diadochokinesis speech proportion were the most significant variables; for women, variables calculated from the oral diadochokinesis were the most discriminative.

CONCLUSIONS

Acoustic variables related to phonation and voice quality distinguished between speakers of the two languages. Variables related to pneumophonic coordination and articulation rate were the more effective in distinguishing PwPD from controls. Thus, our research findings support that respiration and diadochokinesis tasks appear to be the most appropriate to pinpoint signs of dysarthria, which are largely homogeneous and language-universal. In contrast, identifying language-specific variables with the speech tasks and acoustic variables studied was less conclusive.

Validation and cross-linguistic adaptation of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA-2) speech intelligibility tests: Hebrew version

'Dysarthria' is a group of motor speech disorders resulting from a disturbance in neuromuscular control. Most individuals with dysarthria cope with communicative restrictions due to speech impairments and reduced intelligibility. Thus, language-sensitive measurements of intelligibility are important in dysarthria neurological assessment. The Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, 2nd edition (FDA-2), is a validated tool for the identification of the nature and patterns of oro-motor movements associated with different types of dysarthria. The current study conducted a careful culture- and linguistic-sensitive adaption of the two intelligibility subtests of the FDA-2 to Hebrew (words and sentences) and performed a preliminary validation with relevant clinical populations. First, sets of Hebrew words and sentences were constructed, based on the criteria defined in FDA-2, as well as on several other factors that may affect performance: emotional valence, arousal and familiarity. Second, the new subtests were validated in healthy older adults (n = 20), and in two clinical groups (acquired dysarthria, n = 15; and developmental dysarthria, n = 19). Analysis indicated that the new subtests were found to be specific and sensitive, valid and reliable, as scores significantly differ between healthy older adults and adults with dysarthria, correlated with other subjective measures of intelligibility, and showed high test-retest reliability. The words and sentences intelligibility subtests can be used to evaluate speech disorders in various populations of Hebrew speakers, thus may be an important addition to the speech-language pathologist's toolbox, for clinical work as well as for research purposes. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject 'Dysarthria' is a group of disorders reflecting impairments in the strength, speed and precision of movements required for adequate control of the various speech subsystems. Reduced speech intelligibility is one of the main consequences of all dysarthria subtypes, irrespective of their underlying cause. Indeed, most individuals with dysarthria cope with communicative restrictions due to speech impairments. Thus, language-sensitive measurements of intelligibility are important in dysarthria assessment. The FDA-2's words and sentences subtests present standardized and validated tools for the identification of the nature and patterns of oro-motor movements associated with different types of dysarthria. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The lack of assessment tools in Hebrew poses challenges to clinical evaluation as well as research purposes. The current study conducted a careful culture- and linguistic-sensitive adaption of the FDA-2 intelligibility subtests to Hebrew and performed a preliminary validation with relevant clinical populations. First, sets of Hebrew words and sentences were constructed, based on the criteria defined in FDA-2, as well as on several other factors that may affect performance: emotional valence, arousal and familiarity. Second, the new subtests were validated in healthy older adults (n = 20), and in two clinical groups (adults with acquired dysarthria, n = 15; and young adults with developmental dysarthria, n = 19). What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Analyses indicated that the new word and sentence subtests are specific, sensitive, valid and reliable. Namely, (1) they successfully differentiate between healthy individuals and individuals with dysarthria; (2) they correlate with other subjective measures of intelligibility; and (3) they show high test-retest reliability. The words and sentences intelligibility subtests can be used to evaluate speech disorders in various populations of Hebrew speakers. Thus, they may be an important addition to the speech-language pathologist's toolbox, for clinical and research purposes. The methods described here can be emulated for the adaptation of speech assessment tools to other languages.

Cross-cultural adaptation into Italian and validation of the Frenchay dysarthria assessment - 2

BACKGROUND

A comprehensive evaluation of dysarthria is required to make an accurate differential diagnosis with other communication disorders and plan effective rehabilitation programs. The Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment-2 (FDA-2) is a valid, reliable and widely used protocol for the assessment of dysarthria. An Italian version of the FDA-2 is currently lacking.

AIM

To perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the FDA-2 in Italian and to validate the Italian version of the FDA-2.

DESIGN

Validation study.

SETTING

Inpatient rehabilitation center.

POPULATION

69 patients with dysarthria and 112 healthy controls.

METHODS

The FDA-2 was translated and cross-culturally adapted to Italian. The validation study was carried out in 4 steps: (1) 42 audio-recorded samples of FDA-2 items from 11 patients with dysarthria were independently assessed by 7 speech and language pathologists for interrater reliability and re-assessed after 6 weeks for intrarater reliability; (2) 11 patients were simultaneously assessed by 3 speech and language therapists for interrater reliability of the whole Italian version of the FDA-2 and re-assessed within 24 hours for test-retest reliability; (3) the Italian version of the FDA-2 was administered to 112 healthy volunteers to gain normative data; (4) 49 patients with different types of dysarthria were assessed using the Italian version of the FDA-2, the Therapy Outcome Measure impairment scale and the Robertson Profile for the validity analysis.

RESULTS

Interrater and intrarater reliability ranged from good to excellent (ICC >0.75) except for 3 audio-recorded items. The overall protocol demonstrated excellent (ICC >0.9) inter-rater and test-retest reliability for all the sections and the total score. Normative data were gained for 6 age groups. For the validity analysis, a statistically significant difference was found between dysarthric patients and healthy subjects for all sections and the total score. The FDA-2 significantly correlated to the therapy outcome measure (r=0.75) and the Robertson Profile (r=0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

The Italian version of the FDA-2 yield satisfactory reliability and validity, comparable to the psychometric properties of the original version.

CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT

Speech and language pathologists can rely on a valid and reliable tool in Italian for the assessment of dysarthria in both clinical and research practice.

Analysis of Factors That Influence the Prognosis of Swallowing Function Rehabilitation Therapy in Patients with Dysphagia After Medullary Infarction

PURPOSE

This study investigated the factors that influence the prognosis of swallowing function rehabilitation therapy in patients with dysphagia after medullary infarction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted using the clinical data of 51 patients who were diagnosed with dysphagia after medullary infarction and hospitalized at our institution between January 2019 and January 2021. As per the water swallow test (WST) grade at 1 month after rehabilitation treatment, patients were classified into the good prognosis group and the poor prognosis group. Univariate analysis as well as univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze factors that influence the prognosis of swallowing function rehabilitation therapy in patients with dysphagia after medullary infarction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then used to test the predictive ability of the significant parameters to predict the prognosis of the rehabilitation therapy in these patients.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis and univariate logistic regression analysis showed that previous stroke (odds ratio [OR] = 1.361), dysarthria (OR = 3.771), disease course (OR = 1.112), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission (OR = 2.596), and infarct site (OR = 11.071) were all significantly correlated with the prognosis of swallowing function rehabilitation therapy in patients with dysphagia after medullary infarction (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that dysarthria (OR = 5.519, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.413-21.566), infarct site (OR = 18.634, 95% CI 1.696-204.73), and the NIHSS score (OR = 1.001, 95% CI 1.536-4.820) were independent influencing factors of the prognosis of swallowing function rehabilitation therapy in these patients. The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve for the combined prediction of the three indicators was 0.943.

CONCLUSION

The NIHSS score, dysarthria, and infarct site are independent influencing factors for the prognosis of swallowing function rehabilitation therapy in patients with dysphagia after medullary infarction.

Sensitivity and specificity of an acoustic- and perceptual-based tool for assessing motor speech disorders in French: the MonPaGe-screening protocol

To respond to the need of objective screening tools for motor speech disorders (MSD), we present the screening version of a speech assessment protocol (MonPaGe-2.0.s), which is based on semi-automated acoustic and perceptual measures on several speech dimensions in French. We validate the screening tool by testing its sensitivity and specificity and comparing its outcome with external standard assessment tools. The data from 80 patients diagnosed with different types of mild to moderate MSD and 62 healthy test controls were assessed against the normative data obtained on 404 neurotypical speakers, with Deviance Scores computed on seven speech dimensions (voice, speech rate, articulation, prosody, pneumophonatory control, diadochokinetic rate, intelligibility) based on acoustic and perceptual measures. A cut-off of the MonPaGe total deviance score (TotDevS) >2 allowed MSD to be diagnosed with specificity of 95% and an overall sensitivity of 83.8% on all patients pulled, reaching 91% when very mildly impaired patients were excluded. A strong correlation was found between the MonPaGe TotDevS and an external composite perceptual score of MSD provided by six experts. The MonPaGe screening protocol has proven its sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing presence and severity of MSD. Further implementations are needed to complement the characterization of impaired dimensions in order to distinguish subtypes of MSD.

Validation of an Intelligibility Test Based on Acoustic-Phonetic Decoding of Pseudo-Words: Overall Results from Patients with Cancer of the Oral Cavity and the Oropharynx

OBJECTIVES

Loss of intelligibility is a major complaint for patients with speech disorders, as it affects their everyday communication and thus contributes to a decrease in their quality of life. Several tests are available to measure intelligibility, but these tests do not take into account the evaluators' ability to restore distorted sequences. Due to this ability, the evaluator will tend to recognize words despite phonetic distortions, and speech production deficit can go undetected. The results of these tests therefore overestimate the intelligibility of patients and may mask real functional limitations. We propose a new test which uses a large number of pseudowords in order to neutralize the unwanted perceptual effects that cause this overestimation. The purpose of this test is to measure the speech production deficit. It is not intended to assess the communication deficit. Our objective is to validate this test based on acoustic-phonetic decoding of productions from patients with speech disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We tested this method with a population of 39 healthy participants and 78 post-treatment patients with cancers of the oral cavity and the oropharynx (HNC patients). Each speaker produced 52 pseudowords taken from randomly generated lists from large common dictionary, each list of 52 pseudowords containing the same number of phonemes. Forty everyday listeners then transcribed these productions. The orthographic transcriptions were phonetized and compared to the expected phonetic forms. An algorithm provided a Perceived Phonological Deviation score (PPD) based on the number of features that differed between the expected forms and the transcribed items. The PPD thus provided a score representing the loss of intelligibility.

RESULTS

The 39 participants in the control group demonstrated significantly lower PPD scores compared to the 41 patients with a T1T2 tumor size or compared to the 37 patients with a T3T4 tumor size. The differences between the three groups were significant. If we use the PPD as a predictor to identify patients versus control group subjects, the AUC of the ROC curve is equal to 0.94, which corresponds to an outstanding group separability. A PPD threshold at 0.6 features per phoneme is the boundary between normal and dysfunctional speech. The analysis showed a close correlation between the PPD and a clinical judgment of the disorder severity obtained from experts.

CONCLUSION

This test appears to be effective in measuring the intelligibility of speakers at a phonological level, in particular in the case of head and neck cancers.

Assessment of adult speech disorders: current situation and needs in French-speaking clinical practice

INTRODUCTION

Speech assessment methods used in clinical practice are varied and mainly perceptual and motor. Reliable assessment of speech disorders is essential for the tailoring of the patient's treatment plan.

OBJECTIVE

To describe current clinical practices and identify the shortcomings and needs reported by French-speaking clinicians regarding the assessment of speech disorders in adult patients.

METHODS

Data were collected using an online questionnaire for French-speaking speech and language pathologists (SLPs) in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Maghreb. Forty-nine questions were grouped into six domains: participant data, educational and occupational background, experience with speech disorders, patient population, tools and tasks for speech assessment, and possible lacks regarding the current assessment of speech disorders.

RESULTS

Responses from 119 clinicians were included in the analyses. SLPs generally use "à la carte" assessment with a large variety of tasks and speech samples. About one quarter of them do not use existing assessment batteries. Those who do mostly use them partially. Pseudo-words are rarely used and are absent from standardized batteries, in contrast to the major use of words and sentences. Perceptual evaluation largely prevails (mainly overall ratings of speech "intelligibility", "severity," and "comprehensibility" and percent-correct phonemes), whereas the recording equipment for acoustic measures is not standardized and only scarcely described by the SLPs. The most commonly used questionnaire to assess the functional impact of the speech disorder is the Voice Handicap Index; one quarter of the SLPs does not use any questionnaire. Overall, the available tools are considered only moderately satisfactory. The main reported shortcomings are a lack of objectivity and reproducibility of speech measures; exhaustiveness and consideration of specific speech parameters (prosody, speech rate, and nasality); practicality of the assessment tools.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights a lack of standardization of the speech assessment in French-speaking adults and the need to offer new reliable tools for an optimized, accurate speech assessment. The automation of these tools would allow for rapid, reproducible, and accurate measures.

Acupuncture combined with speech rehabilitation training for post-stroke dysarthria: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background

The evidence of Acupuncture combined with speech rehabilitation training for post-stroke dysarthria is insufficient and there is no consensus on its efficacy.

Methods

We searched seven Chinese and English medicine databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to November 2019. The primary outcome measure was the clinical response rate, assessed with the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA) tool. We assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. We used GRADE to assess the certainty of evidence (CoE).

Results

Thirty studies were included in this systematic review, 23 of which were pooled in meta-analysis. Acupuncture combined with speech rehabilitation training is likely beneficial for was response rate (n = 1685; RR = 1.37; 95% CI [1.29, 1.46], P < 0.01, I² = 34%; 17 studies, low CoE) compared to speech rehabilitation treatment alone.

Conclusion

The combination of acupuncture and speech rehabilitation training may improve total response rate of stroke patients with dysarthria. However, more RCTs with rigorous study design and validated outcome measures are needed to confirm the evidence.