The impact of melodic intonation therapy on rate and fundamental frequency in a client with Palilalia

Abstract

Palilalia is a rarely documented speech disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, etc. Palilalia is characterized by an increased rate of speech along with repetitions of words, phrases, or sentences. Only one published article has discussed treatment of Palilalia. Helm (1979) utilized a pacing board to help his 54-year-old client speak slower and reduce his repetitions. The participant touched the divided board with his fingers as he produced each syllable. This board reportedly slowed the patient’s speech. Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) was designed to help individuals with aphasia communicate more effectively (Sparks & Holland, 1976). MIT involves intoning propositional phrases and sentences using a limited range of musical notes to produce utterances along with tapping to keep the rhythm. Speech productions with MIT resulted in slower, more lyrical productions in comparison to spontaneous speech (Sparks & Holland). MIT incorporates aspects of pacing and rhythm that could be effective in slowing speech rate. This study utilized a single-subject design involving a 42-year-old male who experienced an anoxic brain injury. Speech samples from therapeutic sessions were collected and analyzed. The results indicated significant differences in terms of rate and fundamental frequency between spontaneous utterances and those produced using MIT strategies.Palilalia is a rarely documented speech disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, etc. Palilalia is characterized by an increased rate of speech along with repetitions of words, phrases, or sentences. Only one published article has discussed treatment of Palilalia. Helm (1979) utilized a pacing board to help his 54-year-old client speak slower and reduce his repetitions. The participant touched the divided board with his fingers as he produced each syllable. This board reportedly slowed the patient’s speech. Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) was designed to help individuals with aphasia communicate more effectively (Sparks & Holland, 1976). MIT involves intoning propositional phrases and sentences using a limited range of musical notes to produce utterances along with tapping to keep the rhythm. Speech productions with MIT resulted in slower, more lyrical productions in comparison to spontaneous speech (Sparks & Holland). MIT incorporates aspects of pacing and rhythm that could be eff...