A preliminary approach to the acoustic-perceptual characterization of dysarthria

Abstract

We have conducted an acoustic-perceptual evaluation of 15 dysarthric and 15 neurologically-healthy speakers. On the one hand, speech samples were analysed with Praat (13 acoustic parameters were extracted, related to F0, frequency and amplitude variation, as well as other source and vocal tract measures). On the other hand, two raters evaluated all the voices perceptually using the Simplified Vocal Profile Analysis (SVPA), which implements a visual analog scale for each voice quality setting in an online interface. The results show, for the perceptual analyses, that (1) intra- and interrater agreement is overall very good; and that (2) the perceptual settings vocal tract tension and laryngeal tension are the most useful to characterize dysarthria. In terms of statistical modelling, most linear models were significant using only 4-5 acoustic parameters, but the specific parameters in each model depend on the VPA setting under consideration. All in all, acoustic-perceptual assessment through the SVPA seems to be an important complement to traditional assessment in dysarthria, as it provides information on the functioning of the supraglottic structures commonly affected in this type of motor speech disorder, in which the muscles used to produce speech are damaged, paralyzed, or weakened.

Publication
Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Applied Phonetics (ISAPh 2021), 63-66, doi: 10.21437/ISAPh.2021-11