A Study on Acoustic Characteristics of Dysarthria in Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Athetoid cerebral palsy is a nonprogressive disorder, due to hypoxic injury or jaundice in basal ganglia, characterized by impairment of postural reflexes, arrhythmical involuntary movements, and dysarthria. Dysarthria is a group of motor speech disorder resulting from a disturbance of motor control of the speech mechanism. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the acoustic characteristics of dysarthria in athetoid cerebral palsy. METHOD: We investigated the acoustic characteristics of dysarthria in 8 male patients with athetoid cerebral palsy and 6 males as a control group using Computerized Speech Laboratory (i.e., Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), Visi-Pitch, and Electroglottography) and Nasometer. RESULTS: In the MDVP analysis, average fundamental frequency, jitter, and shimmer are significantly increased in patient group as compared to control group (p<0.05). In the Visi-Pitch analysis, maximal phonation and diadochokinetic rate are significantly decreased in patient group (p<0.05). The athetoid cerebral palsied patients have many pitch breaks. Nasalance is not significantly decreased in patient group in comparision with control group. CONCLUSION: We think that average fundamental frequency, jitter and shimmer are increased and maximal phonation time and diadochokinetic rate are decreased in athetoid cerebral palsied patients.