Sensitivity of Videolaryngostroboscopic Rating Tools to Differences in Dysphonia Severity.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the validity of two videolaryngostroboscopic (VLS) rating tools to detect differences in VLS ratings between normophonic speakers, mild, and moderate-severely dysphonic speakers. METHODS: Sixteen rigid VLS exams were obtained from four normophonic controls and 12 speakers with dysphonia (8 =mild, 4 =moderate-severe) secondary to laryngeal pathology. Eight clinicians rated nine vibratory VLS parameters for each exam using both the Voice-vibratory Assessment of Laryngeal Imaging (VALI) tool and a 100 mm visual analog scales (VAS). Ratings obtained for both right and left vocal folds (eg, mucosal wave, amplitude of vibration, nonvibrating portion) were averaged. One rating of overall severity of laryngeal function using a 100 mm VAS also was obtained. ANOVAs were used to evaluate differences in VLS parameters between three speaker groups (normophonic, mildly dysphonic, moderate-severely dysphonic) using these two rating tools. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between controls and moderate-severely dysphonic speakers and for all VLS parameters except phase symmetry (P < 0.05) for both VALI and VAS ratings. Differences between mildly dysphonic and moderate-severely dysphonic and speakers were observed for 4/6 VALI ratings (mucosal wave, nonvibratory portions, phase closure, and regularity) and 5/6 parameters (mucosal wave, amplitude of vibration, nonvibratory portions, phase closure, and regularity) for VAS ratings. Significant differences between controls and mildly dysphonic speakers were not observed for VLS parameter rated using the VALI. There were significant differences between controls and mildly dysphonic speakers for 3/6 parameters (mucosal wave, amplitude of vibration, nonvibratory portion) using a VAS. Ratings of overall severity of laryngeal function differed between all levels of dysphonia severity. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in VLS ratings were observed for comparisons of normophonic and moderate-severely dysphonic speakers and mild to moderately dysphonic speakers using the VALI and the VAS. However, the VAS scale appeared to better differentiate differences in VLS measures between normophonic speakers and those with mild dysphonia. Future studies should consider rating scale sensitivity when VLS rating tools are selected for clinical and research purposes.

The Effect of Rating Method on Reliability of Judgments of Strain Across Populations.

PURPOSE: Variability in auditory-perceptual ratings of voice limits their utility, with the poorest reliability often noted for vocal strain. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an experimental method, called visual sort and rate (VSR), promoted stronger rater reliability than visual analog scale (VAS), for ratings of strain in two clinical populations: adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) and vocal hyperfunction (VH). METHOD: Connected speech samples from speakers with ADLD and VH as well as age- and sex-matched controls were selected from a database. Fifteen inexperienced listeners rated strain for two speaker sets (25 ADLD speakers and five controls; 25 VH speakers and five controls) across four rating blocks: VAS-ADLD, VSR-ADLD, VAS-VH, and VSR-VH. For the VAS task, listeners rated each speaker for strain using a vertically oriented 100-mm VAS. For the VSR task, stimuli were distributed into sets of samples with a range of severities in each set. Listeners sorted and ranked samples for strain within each set, and final ratings were captured on a vertically oriented 100-mm VAS. Intrarater reliability (Pearson's r) and interrater variability (mean of the squared differences between a listener's ratings and group mean ratings) were compared across rating methods and populations using two repeated-measures analyses of variance. RESULTS: Intrarater reliability of strain was significantly stronger when listeners used VSR compared to VAS; listeners also showed significantly better intrarater reliability in ADLD than VH. Listeners demonstrated significantly less interrater variability (better reliability) when using VSR compared to VAS. No significant effect of population or interactions was found between listeners for measures of interrater variability. CONCLUSIONS: VSR increases intrarater reliability for ratings of vocal strain in speakers with VH and ADLD. VSR decreases variability of auditory-perceptual judgments of strain between inexperienced listeners in these clinical populations. Future research should determine whether benefits of VSR extend to voice clinicians and/or clinical settings.

Test-Retest Reliability of Behavioral Assays of Feedforward and Feedback Auditory-Motor Control of Voice and Articulation.

PURPOSE: Behavioral assays of feedforward and feedback auditory-motor control of voice and articulation frequently are used to make inferences about underlying neural mechanisms and to study speech development and disorders. However, no studies have examined the test-retest reliability of such measures, which is critical for rigorous study of auditory-motor control. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability of assays of feedforward and feedback control in voice versus articulation domains. METHOD: Twenty-eight participants (14 cisgender women, 12 cisgender men, one transgender man, one transmasculine/nonbinary) who denied any history of speech, hearing, or neurological impairment were measured for responses to predictable versus unexpected auditory feedback perturbations of vocal (fundamental frequency, fo) and articulatory (first formant, F1) acoustic parameters twice, with 3-6 weeks between sessions. Reliability was measured with intraclass correlations. RESULTS: Opposite patterns of reliability were observed for fo and F1; fo reflexive responses showed good reliability and fo adaptive responses showed poor reliability, whereas F1 reflexive responses showed poor reliability and F1 adaptive responses showed moderate reliability. However, a criterion-referenced categorical measurement of fo adaptive responses as typical versus atypical showed substantial test-retest agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Individual responses to some behavioral assays of auditory-motor control of speech should be interpreted with caution, which has implications for several fields of research. Additional research is needed to establish reliable criterion-referenced measures of F1 adaptive responses as well as fo and F1 reflexive responses. Furthermore, the opposite patterns of test-retest reliability observed for voice versus articulation add to growing evidence for differences in underlying neural control mechanisms.

The effect of the auditory signal on videolaryngostroboscopy ratings and interpretation.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the effect of the videolaryngostroboscopic auditory signal on videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) ratings and interpretation in normophonic and dysphonic speakers. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective repeated measures design METHOD: Eight speech-language pathologists evaluated rigid VLS exams obtained from 12 dysphonic speakers with vocal fold pathology and 4 normophonic speakers with normal VLS exams. VLS exams were evaluated with the auditory signal present and absent with a washout period between rating sessions. VLS measures were obtained using the Voice-vibratory Assessment of Laryngeal Imaging (VALI) and a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS). The effects of the auditory signal and its interaction with voice quality severity on 9 VLS ratings, diagnostic billing codes, and treatment recommendations were examined. RESULTS: There was no effect of auditory information on VLS measures or overall severity of laryngeal function evaluated using the VAS (ps > 0.05). There was a main effect of auditory information and a significant interaction with voice quality severity for only one VLS measure (non-vibrating portion-left) evaluated using the VALI (P = 0.05). Post-hoc analysis for this rating showed significant increases (t-test adjusted P < 0.05) when voice quality severity was moderate-severe (M = 4.8%; SD = 1.65%) and auditory information was present. Agreement in individual clinician's selection of diagnostic codes (73%) and treatment recommendations (65.6%) when auditory cues were present and absent was moderate to high. CONCLUSION: The presence of the videolaryngostroboscopic auditory signal had a minimal effect on VLS ratings, treatment recommendations, or diagnostic billing codes.

Clinical Cutoff Scores for Acoustic Indices of Vocal Hyperfunction That Combine Relative Fundamental Frequency and Cepstral Peak Prominence.

PURPOSE: This study examined the discriminative ability of acoustic indices of vocal hyperfunction combining smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS) and relative fundamental frequency (RFF). METHOD: Demographic, CPPS, and RFF parameters were entered into logistic regression models trained on two 1:1 case-control groups: individuals with and without nonphonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (NPVH; n = 360) and phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (PVH; n = 240). Equations from the final models were used to predict group membership in two independent test sets (n = 100 each). RESULTS: Both CPPS and RFF parameters significantly improved model fits for NPVH and PVH after accounting for demographics. CPPS explained unique variance beyond RFF in both models. RFF explained unique variance beyond CPPS in the PVH model. Final models included CPPS and RFF offset parameters for both NPVH and PVH; RFF onset parameters were significant only in the PVH model. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the independent test sets revealed acceptable classification for NPVH (72%) and good classification for PVH (86%). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of CPPS and RFF parameters showed better discriminative ability than either measure alone for PVH. Clinical cutoff scores for acoustic indices of vocal hyperfunction are proposed for assessment and screening purposes.

Sensitivity of the Communicative Participation Item Bank for Measuring Patient-Reported Outcomes After Treatment of Unilateral Vocal Fold Immobility.

Importance: The Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) is a patient-reported outcome measure assessing the association between communication disorders and participation in daily communication. To our knowledge, no prior research has examined whether CPIB scores change after treatment of unilateral vocal fold immobility (UVFI). Objective: To compare CPIB scores before and after treatment of UVFI and with patient-defined target treatment outcomes and other common clinical outcomes after UVFI intervention. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-group case series recruited a convenience sample of community-dwelling patients aged 18 years or older from an urban academic medical center who had a diagnosis of UVFI and planned to receive intervention for UVFI. The study was conducted from March 2014 to March 2019. Exposures: Intervention for UVFI according to clinicians' recommendations. The treatment type was not controlled for this study. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patients' self-reported communicative participation was assessed by obtaining CPIB scores before and after treatment of UVFI, with scores calibrated to the standardized T scale. Pearson correlations between the CPIB general short form and computerized adaptive format, the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), and self-rated and clinician-rated voice severity were also evaluated. Results: The sample included 25 participants, of whom 17 (68%) were male, 8 (32%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 54.9 (17.0) years. Significant changes after treatment were observed in all quantitative outcomes including the primary outcome of the CPIB; the mean T score before treatment was 40.95 (95% CI, 37.49-44.41) and after treatment was 53.23 (95% CI, 48.41-58.04) (mean difference, -13.04 [95% CI, -7.30 to -18.79]; Cohen d, 0.96). The Pearson correlation between the CPIB general short form and computerized adaptive testing scores at pretreatment was r = 0.93 and at posttreatment, r = 0.95. Computerized adaptive testing showed efficiency advantages, with typically 5 to 6 items required for administration compared with 10 items for the short form. The correlation between the CPIB and VHI-10 was moderate before treatment (r = -0.70) and strong after treatment (r = -0.91). Moderate correlations were observed between the CPIB and clinician-rated voice quality before (r = -0.52) and after (r = -0.46) treatment and between CPIB and self-rated voice quality before (r = -0.56) and after (r = -0.62) treatment. Conclusions and Relevance: The results of this case series suggest that the CPIB is relevant for clinical use to assess changes in communicative participation among patients with UVFI before and after they receive treatment.

Perceptions regarding communicative participation in individuals receiving botulinum toxin injections for laryngeal dystonia.

BACKGROUND: Laryngeal dystonia (LD), or spasmodic dysphonia (SD), is a neurological disorder characterized by focal dystonia or involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles and associated voice symptoms. It is typically treated with injection of botulinum toxin (BoNT) that weakens the affected muscles. AIMS: The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to explore participants' experience of living with LD and BoNT treatment. The secondary purpose was to examine those experiences as a function of participants' scores on the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB). Results will enhance our understanding of restrictions in communicative participation, assist in planning intervention targeting these restrictions and aid in clinical interpretation of CPIB scores. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Semi-structured interviews using a phenomenological tradition and focusing on BoNT treatment and communicative participation were conducted with 26 people with LD who are on established BoNT treatment regimens. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed inductively. Participants were categorized by CPIB scores into groups ranging from none to extensive participation restrictions. Both self- and expert ratings of voice were obtained. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Participants with different levels of CPIB scores had different experiences related to communicative participation in the context of BoNT treatment. These differences were organized into the following topics: BoNT and voice; attitudes toward participation; coping strategies; and advice. For all participants except those in the least restricted and most restricted groups, expert ratings of voice did not relate to CPIB scores. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Although most participants report improved voice with BoNT treatment, many participants experienced lingering restrictions in communicative participation, some to a severe extent. Participants reported coping with these restrictions in many ways; some of these strategies were more successful than others. Those with restricted participation recommended more support for daily life and the emotional toll of LD, as well as support for family members. This support might be offered by speech-language pathologists. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Participants with different levels of CPIB scores had different experiences related to communicative participation in the context of BoNT treatment. What this study adds to the existing knowledge Although most participants report improved voice with BoNT treatment, many participants experienced lingering restrictions in communicative participation, some to a severe extent. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? SLP services that take a participation-focused approach to intervention and use multi-factorial approaches to help clients maximize their life participation in the context of LD are well within the SLP scope of practice. SLPs can help clients find and use their optimal voices within the constraints of the dystonia and BoNT effects.

The Communicative Participation Item Bank: Evaluating, and Reevaluating, Its Use across Communication Disorders in Adults.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are essential in patient-centered, evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology. PROs respect individuals who live with communication disorders as key stakeholders providing a critically unique perspective on consequences of communication disorders, and whether interventions bring about meaningful changes. Some PROs focus on specific communication symptoms such as voice or language symptom severity, while others focus on broader constructs such as quality of life. Many PROs target specific diagnostic groups. This article presents the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB), a PRO that measures communicative participation restrictions. The CPIB was based on the concept of participation, or engagement in life situations, as defined in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. It was designed to be relevant for adults across different communication disorders to facilitate clinical and research activities that may involve either comparing or aggregating data across communication disorders. The CPIB follows current PRO development protocols including systematic guidance from stakeholders through cognitive interviews, and the measurement methods of Item Response Theory that allow precise and adaptive assessment. This article reviews use of the CPIB across different diagnostic groups, and identifies needs for future efforts to expand the relevance of the CPIB further.

The Effect of Visual Sort and Rate Versus Visual Analog Scales on the Reliability of Judgments of Dysphonia.

Purpose The reliability of auditory-perceptual judgments between listeners is a long-standing problem in the assessment of voice disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relatively novel experimental scaling method, called visual sort and rate (VSR), yielded stronger reliability than the more frequently used method of visual analog scales (VAS) for ratings of overall severity (OS) and breathiness (BR) in speakers with voicedisorders. Method Fifty speech samples were selected from a database of speakers with voice disorders. Twenty-two inexperienced listeners provided ratings of OS or BR in four rating blocks: VSR-OS, VSR-BR, VAS-OS, and VSR-BR. For the VAS task, listeners rated each speaker for BR or OS using a vertically oriented 100-mm VAS. For the VSR task, stimuli were distributed into sets of samples with a range of speaker severities in each set. Listeners sorted and ranked samples for OS or BR within each set, and final ratings were captured on a vertically oriented 100-mm VAS. Interrater variability, defined as the mean of the squared differences between a listener's ratings and group mean ratings, and intrarater reliability (Pearson r) were compared across rating tasks for OS and BR using paired t tests. Results Results showed that listeners had significantly less interrater variability (better reliability) when using VSR methods compared to VAS for judgments of both OS and BR. Intrarater reliability was high across rating tasks and dimensions; however, ratings of BR were significantly more consistent within individual listeners when using VAS than when using VSR. Conclusions VSR is an experimental method that decreases variability of auditory-perceptual judgments between inexperienced listeners when rating speakers with a range of dysphonic severities and disorders. Future research should determine whether a clinically viable tool may be developed based on VSR principles and whether such benefits extend to experienced listeners.

Effect of Noise on Speech Intelligibility and Perceived Listening Effort in Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose This study (a) examined the effect of different levels of background noise on speech intelligibility and perceived listening effort in speakers with impaired and intact speech following treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) and (b) determined the relative contribution of speech intelligibility, speaker group, and background noise to a measure of perceived listening effort. Method Ten speakers diagnosed with nasal, oral, or oropharyngeal HNC provided audio recordings of six sentences from the Sentence Intelligibility Test. All speakers were 100% intelligible in quiet: Five speakers with HNC exhibited mild speech imprecisions (speech impairment group), and five speakers with HNC demonstrated intact speech (HNC control group). Speech recordings were presented to 30 inexperienced listeners, who transcribed the sentences and rated perceived listening effort in quiet and two levels (+7 and +5 dB SNR) of background noise. Results Significant Group × Noise interactions were found for speech intelligibility and perceived listening effort. While no differences in speech intelligibility were found between the speaker groups in quiet, the results showed that, as the signal-to-noise ratio decreased, speakers with intact speech (HNC control) performed significantly better (greater intelligibility, less perceived listening effort) than those with speech imprecisions in the two noise conditions. Perceived listening effort was also shown to be associated with decreased speech intelligibility, imprecise speech, and increased background noise. Conclusions Speakers with HNC who are 100% intelligible in quiet but who exhibit some degree of imprecise speech are particularly vulnerable to the effects of increased background noise in comparison to those with intact speech. Results have implications for speech evaluations, counseling, and rehabilitation.

Communicative Participation and Quality of Life in Pretreatment Oral and Oropharyngeal Head and Neck Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how communicative participation is affected in patients with oral and oropharyngeal head and neck cancers (HNCs) pretreatment and whether communication function predicts HNC-specific quality of life (QOL) before treatment, beyond known demographic, medical, psychosocial, and swallowing predictors. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary care academic medical center. METHODS: Eighty-seven patients with primary oral (40.2%) or oropharyngeal (59.8%) HNC were recruited prior to treatment. T stage, tumor site, and p16 status were extracted from medical records. Demographic and patient-reported measures were obtained. Communicative participation was measured using the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) General short form. A hierarchical regression analysis included demographic, medical, psychosocial, and functional measures of swallowing and communication as predictors; the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL v4) composite score was the predicted variable. RESULTS: Median (SD) baseline CPIB scores were 71.0 (11.83); patients with oral cancers reported worse scores. A final sequential hierarchical regression model that included all variables explained 71% of variance in QOL scores. Tumor site, T stage, and p16 status accounted for 28% of variance (P < .001). Perceived depression predicted an additional 28% of the variance (P < .001). Swallowing and communicative participation together predicted an additional 12% of variance (P = .005). Tumor site, perceived depression, swallowing, and communication measures were unique predictors in the final model. Finally, communicative participation uniquely predicted QOL, above and beyond other predictors. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment communication predicted QOL and was negatively affected in some oral and oropharyngeal patients with HNC.

Acoustic Model of Perceived Overall Severity of Dysphonia in Adductor-Type Laryngeal Dystonia.

Purpose This study is a secondary analysis of existing data. The goal of the study was to construct an acoustic model of perceived overall severity of dysphonia in adductory laryngeal dystonia (AdLD). We predicted that acoustic measures (a) related to voice and pitch breaks and (b) related to vocal effort would form the primary elements of a model corresponding to auditory-perceptual ratings of overall severity of dysphonia. Method Twenty inexperienced listeners evaluated the overall severity of dysphonia of speech stimuli from 19 individuals with AdLD. Acoustic features related to primary signs of AdLD (hyperadduction resulting in pitch and voice breaks) and to a potential secondary symptom of AdLD (vocal effort, measures of relative fundamental frequency) were computed from the speech stimuli. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to construct an acoustic model of the overall severity of dysphonia. Results The acoustic model included an acoustic feature related to pitch and voice breaks and three acoustic measures derived from relative fundamental frequency; it explained 84.9% of the variance in the auditory-perceptual ratings of overall severity of dysphonia in the speech samples. Conclusions Auditory-perceptual ratings of overall severity of dysphonia in AdLD were related to acoustic features of primary signs (pitch and voice breaks, hyperadduction associated with laryngeal spasms) and were also related to acoustic features of vocal effort. This suggests that compensatory vocal effort may be a secondary symptom in AdLD. Future work to generalize this acoustic model to a larger, independent data set is necessary before clinical translation is warranted.

Does the accuracy of case history affect interpretation of videolaryngostroboscopic exams?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of initial diagnostic hypotheses on clinicians' 1) detection and perceived severity of abnormalities, and 2) clinical impressions and treatment recommendations for individuals with and without voice disorders following interpretation of videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS). METHODS: Thirty-two experienced speech-language pathologists and otolaryngologists specializing in voice disorders read case histories prior to interpreting exams. Case histories suggested specific accurate or inaccurate laryngeal diagnoses, or a control scenario that suggested a normal larynx. The effects of the accuracy of case histories on perceived severity of associated visual-perceptual parameters, clinical impressions, and treatment recommendations were examined. RESULTS: Significant increases in perceived severity of posterior laryngeal appearance (P < 0.05) and mucosal wave (P < 0.02) were observed when these abnormalities were suggested by case histories. Overall agreement with clinical impressions improved from 49% to 72% when the case history was consistent with the examination. Case histories (accurate and inaccurate) indicating voice symptoms predicted recommendations for treatment above and beyond that of VLS presentation alone, P < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Case histories suggesting specific abnormalities significantly affected severity ratings for two of three associated visual-perceptual parameters selected as primary outcome measures. Accurate case histories suggesting specific abnormalities increased the probability of detection and perceived severity. Inaccurate case histories led to false-positive findings and failures to detect abnormalities or to interpret them as less severe. Case histories affected visual-perceptual judgments and contributed to decisions about clinical impressions and treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b Laryngoscope, 130:718-725, 2020.

Does the Accuracy of Medical Diagnoses Affect Novice Listeners' Auditory-Perceptual Judgments of Dysphonia Severity?

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: To determine whether the presence and accuracy of a laryngeal medical diagnosis affects novice listeners' judgments of dysphonia. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, within subjects, modified factorial experimental design. METHODS: Twenty-six speakers with dysphonia and four normophonic speakers provided speech recordings. Forty novice clinicians evaluated speech samples for roughness and breathiness using 100-mm visual analog scales in two conditions. First, speech samples were presented without diagnostic information. In the second condition, 50% of the speech samples were presented with the accurate laryngeal medical diagnosis, while the other 50% of samples were presented with an inaccurate (alternative) diagnosis. RESULTS: Results showed that judgments of dysphonia were affected by the presence of both accurate and inaccurate diagnoses. As expected, when compared to no known diagnosis, judgments of roughness significantly increased in severity when an accurate diagnostic label of vocal fold lesions was presented. Likewise, in comparison to no known diagnosis, judgments of breathiness trended toward an increase in severity when an accurate diagnostic label of vocal fold paralysis/paresis was presented. Interestingly, increases in perceived severity of dysphonia were also observed with the presentation of inaccurate diagnoses, with the overall effect of inaccurate diagnostic information being greater than accurate diagnoses. Specifically, increases in perceived roughness and breathiness were observed when inaccurate diagnoses included benign vocal fold lesion(s) and vocal fold paralysis/paresis. In contrast, inaccurate diagnostic labels indicating "clear larynx" or diagnoses other than benign vocal fold lesion(s) or paralysis/paresis resulted in decreased perceived roughness and breathiness severity. The magnitude of the differences in perceived severity between conditions was overall reduced for breathiness compared to roughness. CONCLUSIONS: Sources of bias such as knowledge and accuracy of medical diagnoses should be considered when novice clinicians use auditory-perceptual measures to evaluate dysphonia and measure treatment outcomes.

"I would have told you about being forgetful, but I forgot": the experience of cognitive changes and communicative participation after head and neck cancer.

Purpose: Survivors of head and neck cancer have reported difficulties with memory, attention, verbal fluency, and processing speed sometimes persisting years after treatment. Self-perceived cognitive function is an important predictor of communication outcomes in this population. This study explores the lived experience of cognitive changes in survivors of non-nasopharyngeal head and neck cancer and how these changes affect communication in their daily lives.Materials and methods: In the phenomenological tradition, five adult survivors of non-nasopharyngeal head and neck cancer participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and summarized into themes.Results: Two major themes emerged: (1) I would have told you about being forgetful, but I forgot; and (2) It's such a journey that much of it is uncharted. Participants described problems with memory, focus/attention, and task initiation along with slowed processing and language difficulties. These difficulties affected communication at work, socially, and at home. Participants expressed feeling unprepared for the possibility of cognitive changes, not knowing why they were happening or what to do about them.Conclusions: Results of this study have implications for counseling and treatment of individuals with head and neck cancer, as well as advocating for these patients to receive appropriate information and intervention.Implications for rehabilitationSurvivors of non-nasopharyngeal head and neck cancer described experiencing problems with memory and focus/attention along with slowed processing and language difficulties.Study participants generally felt both unprepared for the cognitive changes they experienced and, in many ways, unsupported by healthcare providers and others.Rehabilitation professionals should be aware that cognitive changes following medical treatment for head and neck cancer may affect a patient's ability to learn and follow complex treatment regimens.Rehabilitation professionals can advise and advocate for these patients to receive the appropriate referrals for assessment and treatment of their cognitive symptoms.

Relationship between perceived social support and patient-reported communication outcomes across communication disorders: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Beyond the severity of voice, speech and language impairments, one potential predictor of communication success across adult populations with communication disorders may be perceived social support: the expectation that others will provide support if needed. Despite the preponderance of intervention approaches that assume a positive relationship between perceived social support and patient-reported communication success, the evidence base for these relationships is limited. AIMS: The aim of this systematic review is to explore relationships between measures of perceived social support and patient-reported communication outcomes in adult populations with communication disorders. METHODS & PROCEDURES: The PRISMA guidelines were followed in the conduct and reporting of this review. Electronic databases including PubMed, PsychINFO and CINAHL were systematically searched up to 19 May 2017. Additional data were obtained for two studies. All the included studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tools. Given the heterogeneous nature of the studies, data synthesis was narrative for the quantitative studies. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to synthesize qualitative data. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Eight quantitative and four qualitative studies met eligibility criteria. All quantitative studies met eight of eight quality criteria. For the qualitative studies, one study met nine of nine quality criteria; the remaining three studies met three, seven and eight quality criteria. Of the eight included quantitative studies, six independent data sets were used. Results revealed no significant relationships between perceived social support and communication outcomes in three studies (two aphasia with one data set, one Parkinson's disease), while perceived social support was a weak, but significant predictor in two studies (one multiple sclerosis, one head and neck cancer). Three additional studies (two aphasia with one data set; one Parkinson's disease) found that relationships were initially weak, but strengthened over time to become moderate. Results from qualitative studies (one head and neck cancer, two aphasia, one multiple sclerosis) revealed that perceived social support acted as a facilitator, and absent or misguided support acted as a barrier to communication outcomes. Skilful, responsive family members were able to facilitate better quality of communicative interactions, whereas lack of social support, or negative attitudes and behaviours of other people, were barriers. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: While perceived social support may affect communication outcomes in adults with communication disorders, current measures may not adequately capture these constructs. Results have implications for future research and interventions for speech and language therapists.

Recommended Protocols for Instrumental Assessment of Voice: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Expert Panel to Develop a Protocol for Instrumental Assessment of Vocal Function.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to recommend protocols for instrumental assessment of voice production in the areas of laryngeal endoscopic imaging, acoustic analyses, and aerodynamic procedures, which will (a) improve the evidence for voice assessment measures, (b) enable valid comparisons of assessment results within and across clients and facilities, and (c) facilitate the evaluation of treatment efficacy. Method: Existing evidence was combined with expert consensus in areas with a lack of evidence. In addition, a survey of clinicians and a peer review of an initial version of the protocol via VoiceServe and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Special Interest Group 3 (Voice and Voice Disorders) Community were used to create the recommendations for the final protocols. Results: The protocols include recommendations regarding technical specifications for data acquisition, voice and speech tasks, analysis methods, and reporting of results for instrumental evaluation of voice production in the areas of laryngeal endoscopic imaging, acoustics, and aerodynamics. Conclusion: The recommended protocols for instrumental assessment of voice using laryngeal endoscopic imaging, acoustic, and aerodynamic methods will enable clinicians and researchers to collect a uniform set of valid and reliable measures that can be compared across assessments, clients, and facilities.

Role of Psychosocial Factors on Communicative Participation among Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer.

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the unique contribution of psychosocial factors, including perceived social support, depression, and resilience to communicative participation, among adult survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC). Study Design Cross-sectional. Setting University-based laboratory and speech clinic. Subjects and Methods Adult survivors of HNC who were at least 2 years posttreatment for HNC completed patient-reported outcome measures, including those related to communicative participation and psychosocial function. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to predict communicative participation. Self-rated speech severity, cognitive function, laryngectomy status, and time since diagnosis were entered first as a block of variables (block 1), and psychosocial factors were entered second (block 2). Results Eighty-eight adults who were on average 12.2 years post-HNC diagnosis participated. The final regression model predicted 58.2% of the variance in communicative participation (full model R2 = 0.58, P < .001). Self-rated speech severity, cognitive function, laryngectomy status, and time since diagnosis together significantly predicted 46.1% of the variance in block 1. Perceived social support, depression, resilience, and interactions significantly and uniquely predicted 12.1% of the additional variance in block 2. Conclusion For clinicians, psychosocial factors such as perceived depression warrant consideration when counseling patients with HNC about communication outcomes and when designing future studies related to rehabilitation.

Perceived listener effort as an outcome measure for disordered speech.

PURPOSE: Perceived listening effort is a perceptual dimension used to identify the amount of work necessary to understand disordered speech. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of perceived listening effort to provide unique information about disordered speech. The relationships between perceived listening effort and two current outcome measures (speech acceptability, intelligibility) were examined for listeners rating electrolaryngeal speech, along with their reliability and intra-rater agreement. METHODS: Ten healthy male speakers read low-context sentences using an electrolarynx. Twenty-five inexperienced listeners orthographically transcribed and rated the stimuli for perceived listening effort and speech acceptability using a visual analog scale. Strict reliability and agreement criteria were set. RESULTS: Perceived listening effort was moderately to strongly correlated with intelligibility (r = -0.76) and acceptability (r = -0.80), each of which contributed uniquely to ratings of perceived listening effort. However, only 17 listeners met stringent reliability and agreement criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Ratings of perceived listening effort may provide unique information about the communicative success of individuals with communication disorders. There is great variability, however, among inexperienced listeners' perceptual ratings of electrolaryngeal speech. Future research should investigate variables that may affect perceived listening effort specifically and auditory-perceptual ratings in general.

Internally Versus Externally Cued Speech in Parkinson's Disease and Cerebellar Disease.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an internally versus externally cued speech task on perceived understandability and naturalness in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD) and cerebellar disease (CD). METHOD: Sentences extracted from a covertly recorded conversation (internally cued) were compared to the same sentences read aloud (externally cued) by speakers with PD and a clinical comparison group of speakers with CD. Experienced listeners rated the speech samples using a visual analog scale for the perceptual dimensions of understandability and naturalness. RESULTS: Results suggest that experienced listeners rated the speech of participants with PD as significantly more natural and more understandable during the reading condition. Participants with CD were also rated as significantly more understandable during the reading condition, but ratings of naturalness did not differ between conversation and reading. CONCLUSIONS: Speech tasks can have a pronounced impact on perceived speech patterns. For individuals with PD, both understandability and naturalness can improve during reading tasks versus conversational tasks. The speech benefits from reading may be attributed to several mechanisms, including possible improvement from an externally cued speech task. These findings have implications for speech task selection in evaluating individuals with dysarthria.