| Abstract: |
Three men (aged 63, 67, and 78 yrs) with moderate idiopathic Parkinson's disease participated in a speech therapy program to improve speech intelligibility by reducing speech rate. All Ss had a dysarthria characterized by a fast speaking rate, poor articulation, and dysfluency. Treatment varied somewhat for each S but the general protocol involved delayed auditory feedback (DAF); DAF plus traditional, clinician-directed therapy; and DAF plus a clinician-directed prolonged speech therapy. A single-S multiple baseline design was used to determine if rate reduction improved intelligibility during reading, picture description, and spontaneous speech tasks. Results show that continued exposure to DAF did not appear to cause reductions in speaking rate. The prolonged speech method did appear to have some success in improving rate control and in maintaining intelligibility while rates were subsequently increased. |
