Effectiveness of a portable device on dysarthrias in daily life—Verification of the effects with DAF and without DAF

Abstract

Several methods for rehabilitating speech rate control have been widely used to improve speech intelligibility in patients with mild dysarthria. However, few studies have reported the therapeutic effects of these methods in daily life. Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) is one such speech rate control method. A small, portable DAF device has recently been developed that can be used by patients in their daily life. In this study, three dysarthric patients wearing the portable DAF device underwent a 20-min practice per day for 3 months. During the practice, they were instructed to prolong vowel length while using the device. The improvement in the intelligibility of spontaneous conversation was more in patients wearing the portable DAF device than in those who did not wear the device. The patients mastered the speech method using prolonged vowel length pronunciation with the use of the device continuously over a period of time. This finding suggests that the portable DAF devices can be sustainably used in daily life. Even when the device was not used, patients’ speech rates significantly decreased at the word level after treatment. This finding suggests that the effectiveness of the portable DAF device is carried over after 3 months of its use.Several methods for rehabilitating speech rate control have been widely used to improve speech intelligibility in patients with mild dysarthria. However, few studies have reported the therapeutic effects of these methods in daily life. Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) is one such speech rate control method. A small, portable DAF device has recently been developed that can be used by patients in their daily life. In this study, three dysarthric patients wearing the portable DAF device underwent a 20-min practice per day for 3 months. During the practice, they were instructed to prolong vowel length while using the device. The improvement in the intelligibility of spontaneous conversation was more in patients wearing the portable DAF device than in those who did not wear the device. The patients mastered the speech method using prolonged vowel length pronunciation with the use of the device continuously over a period of time. This finding suggests that the portable DAF devices can be sustainably used in dail...