RecruitingACTRN12612000968875

Using CLEAR SPEECH to improve speech disorders following stroke or traumatic brain injury

In adults with non-progressive dysarthria resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury, does CLEAR SPEECH compared to traditional speech therapy techniques result in greater improvements in speech intelligibility

Sponsor

The University of Queensland

Enrollment

40 participants

Start Date

Aug 21, 2012

Study Type

Interventional

Conditions

Non-progressive dysarthria Stroke

Summary

Overall this research aims to determine whether or not CLEAR SPEECH is a viable treatment option for patients with non-progressive dysarthria. Specifically, this research project aims to: 1. Determine the efficacy of CLEAR SPEECH as a treatment for non-progressive dysarthria following stroke and TBI across a range of perceptual, acoustic and everyday communication outcome measures. 2. To compare the effects of CLEAR SPEECH with the outcomes of traditional dysarthria therapy (TRAD) in individuals with non- progressive dysarthria. It is hypothesized that CLEAR SPEECH will result in short and long term improvements to perceptual and acoustic measures of speech function, and ratings of everyday communication in individuals with non-progressive dysarthria. Also, the degree of improvement in speech and communication parameters will be greater following CLEAR SPEECH compared to the effects achieved following TRAD.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 18 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This study is testing a speaking technique called CLEAR SPEECH as a treatment for people who have difficulty speaking clearly (dysarthria) after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. CLEAR SPEECH involves speaking more slowly, louder, and more precisely — the way you might talk if you wanted to be understood in a noisy room. Researchers are comparing this approach to traditional speech therapy to see which one produces better and longer-lasting improvements in speech clarity and everyday communication. You may be eligible if: - You are 18 years or older - You have mild to severe non-progressive dysarthria (slurred or unclear speech) diagnosed by a speech pathologist - Your dysarthria was caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury at least 6 months ago - You speak English - You have enough thinking and concentration ability to participate in assessment tasks - You show some ability to improve your speech clarity during initial testing You may NOT be eligible if: - You have significant aphasia (difficulty understanding or finding words) - You have significant hearing or vision loss - You have dementia - You have apraxia of speech - You are still experiencing post-traumatic amnesia Talk to your doctor about whether this trial might be right for you.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

Interested in this trial?

Get notified about updates and connect with the research team.

Interventions

CLEAR SPEECH program: Participants will first undergo two 1-hour ‘pre-practice’ treatment sessions aimed at instating CLEAR SPEECH production. During this phase participants will watch videos of people demonstrating ‘clear speech’ which they will be required to imitate. The clinician will then provide specific feedback on the participants speaking technique in order to shape their speech production into CLEAR SPEECH. Following the pre-practice phase participants will then move onto the intensive ‘practice’ phase of the treatment regime. This phase of the treatment program consists of 1-hour therapy sessions, 4 times a week, for a one month period. Daily home practice is also required and will be strictly monitored to ensure compliance. Therapy will involve practicing tasks such as producing functional phrases, reading short passages, and holding conversations in a CLEAR manner in order to increase the clarity and intelligibility of the individual’s speech. During treatment the clinician will provide general feedback on speech clarity, labelling speech attempts as either ‘clear’ or ‘unclear’. Modelling of CLEAR SPEECH will also be provided where necessary. In addition, the participant’s speech attempts will be recorded using a digital audio recorder. These speech samples will be played back to the participant intermittently to aid in the development of self-evaluation skills. Participants will rate the speech clarity of the recorded samples on a 10-point scale, with 1= very unclear speech and 10 = clear speech.