The short- and long-term effectiveness of the LSVT for dysarthria following TBI and stroke.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) for the treatment of 10 individuals with dysarthria following TBI and stroke. RESEARCH DESIGN: ABAA experimental research design. METHODS: Participants received 4 weeks of the standard LSVT programme. To measure the effects of intervention, participants were assessed using perceptual and acoustic speech measures and everyday communication outcome measures prior to, immediately post and 6 months post-treatment. RESULTS: Following treatment, participants demonstrated statistically and clinically significant improvements to several acoustic and perceptual parameters. This included increased vocal loudness in sustained phonation and connected speech, increased vocal frequency range and improved word and sentence intelligibility. Improved ratings of communication initiation and participation and well-being were also found on the AusTOMs and items on participant questionnaires post-LSVT. The majority of treatment effects were maintained 6 months following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: LSVT has the potential to be a viable treatment option for individuals with dysarthria featuring respiratory-phonatory impairments following TBI and stroke.

Author information

Author/s: Wenke, Rachel J (RJ); Theodoros, Deborah (D); Cornwell, Petrea (P);

Affiliation: Division of Speech Pathology, Brisbane, Australia. r.wenke(-atsign-)uq.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Brain injury : [BI] (Brain Inj), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 22 (issue 4) : pp 339-52

Dates: Created 2008/03/27; Completed 2008/11/10;

PMID: 18365848, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.