Toward Phonetic Intelligibility Testing in Dysarthria

Abstract

The measurement of intelligibility in dysarthric individuals is a major concern in clinical assessment and management and in research on dysarthria. The measurement objective is complicated by the fact that intelligibility is not an absolute quantity but rather a relative quantity that depends on variables such as test material, personnel, training, test procedures, and state of the speaker. This paper reviews scaling procedures and item identification tests as they have been applied to dysarthric speech. Based in part on previous studies of speech of the hearing impaired, a profile has been designed to direct research on the acoustic or physiologic correlates of dysarthric intelligibility impairment. In addition, a word intelligibility test is proposed for use with dysarthric speakers. This test is designed to examine 19 acoustic-phonetic contrasts that are likely to (a) be sensitive to dysarthric impairment and (b) contribute significantly to speech intelligibility. Preliminary data from a sample of subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are presented to illustrate the use of this test in the phonetic interpretation of intelligibility impairment.

Loudness perception and speech intensity control in Parkinson's disease

“…Background noise becomes especially problematic when it interferes with the processing of a desired auditory signal such as speech. Speech intelligibility refers to the listener's ability to accurately perceive the speech signal that is being transmitted (Kent, Weismer, Kent, & Rosenbek, 1989). Adams, Dykstra, Jenkins, and Jog (2008) investigated the impact of multi-talker background noise on speech-to-noise levels and conversational speech intelligibility of individuals with hypophonia due to PD.…”

Variability and Diagnostic Accuracy of Speech Intelligibility Scores in Children

“…I ntelligible speech is critical for successful spoken communication. Intelligibility has been defined as the extent to which an acoustic signal, generated by a speaker, can be correctly recovered by a listener (Kent, Weismer, Kent, & Rosenbek, 1989). Central to this definition is the dyadic nature of intelligibility, requiring at a minimum a speaker who produces a speech signal and a listener who receives the signal.…”

Developing the Alphabetic Principle to Aid Text-Based Augmentative and Alternative Communication Use by Adults With Low Speech Intelligibility and Intellectual Disabilities

“…Intelligibility is dependent on many factors, including the context of the communication, the listener's familiarity with the speaker's speech, and the sound quality of the speech (Kent et al, 1989;Yorkston et al, 1996). One way to assess speech intelligibility is to present a recorded sample of an individual's speech to a listener, who transcribes what he or she hears.…”

“…Low speech intelligibility can be a significant barrier to effective communication, and thus increasing intelligibility is an important intervention objective (Beliveau et al, 1995;Kent, 1993;Kent et al, 1989). Intelligibility can be improved by interventions aimed at improving articulation.…”

“…Speech intelligibility can be defined as the extent to which an individual's speech is understandable to listeners (Hustad, Oakes, & Allison, 2015;Kent, 1993;Kent, Weismer, Kent, & Rosenbeck, 1989;Yorkston, Strand, & Kennedy, 1996). Intelligibility is dependent on many factors, including the context of the communication, the listener's familiarity with the speaker's speech, and the sound quality of the speech (Kent et al, 1989;Yorkston et al, 1996).…”