경직형 마비말장애인의 읽기 및 그림설명하기 과제 수행 시 말명료도 특징

Abstract

The present study examined the differences in speech intelligibility of patients with spastic dysarthria according to the types of tasks (reading task and picture description task) and articulatory severity. By examining the correlation between speech intelligibility and the types of tasks, this study also aimed at in depth comprehension of characteristics of speech intelligibility of patients with spastic dysarthria at the connected speech level. Participants were 4 patients with spastic dysarthria (2 mild patients and 2 mild-to-moderate patients) and 60 ordinary listeners, and 15 listeners were assigned to 1 speaker. Speakers’ speech was recorded by a digital recorder in a quiet room, and speech intelligibility was measured by writing on recording papers all the content of what the listeners had listened. Results are as follows: First, in both reading task and picture description task, the mean speech intelligibility of the mild group was higher than the mean speech intelligibility of the mild-to-moderate group. As for speech intelligibility according to the types of tasks, the mean speech intelligibilities between the tasks were similar in the mild group, but the mild-to-moderate group showed significantly higher mean speech intelligibility in the picture description task. Second, correlation analysis in speech intelligibility between picture description task and reading task regardless of articulatory severity showed a significantly high positive correlation. The mild group showed a significant positive correlation in speech intelligibility between the tasks, and the mild-to-moderate group also showed a significant positive correlation between the tasks. These results indicate that articulatory severity of patients with spastic dysarthria has an effect on speech intelligibility, and as articulatory severity is higher, speech intelligibility in picture description task, in which the listener can more easily assume the topic of what the speaker talks, is higher than that in reading task. Regardless of articulatory severity, as speech intelligibility in reading task was high, speech intelligibility in picture description task was also high. This result can be interpreted that speech intelligibility of both tasks was similar because both tasks provided specific and realistic visual clues and enhanced concentration for the speakers with spastic dysarthria to perform tasks, which led to similar patterns in speech intelligibility of the two tasks. Also because articulatory severity of speakers affected speech intelligibility in general, the tendency in speech intelligibility in different types of tasks might be similar. The results of this study suggest that it can be an ideal treatment plan for patients with spastic dysarthria to use both speech-oriented approach and communication-oriented approach.