Repetition practice and speech-rate control training's effect on the percentage of correct consonants and ratio of delayed words in apraxia of speech patients with aphasia

Abstract

Objectives: This study looks at the effectiveness of repetition practice and speech-rate control training for improving the articulation and ratios of delayed words of patients with apraxia of speech (AOS) and aphasia. Methods: Four adult patients with AOS and aphasia participated in the study. Prior to intervention, they were asked to read aloud a controlled set of stimulus words and phrases designed to measure percentage of correct consonants (PCC) and the ratio of delayed words. During intervention all subjects received eight sessions of repetition practice and eight sessions of speech-rate control training. Two weeks after the therapy the intervention effects were measured through three sessions of trained and non-trained tasks. A statistical analysis of the results was done using the Friedman and Wilcoxon tests. Results: The results of the study are as follows: after intervention, PCC increased by an average of 35.5%, with the final assessments showing a PCC maintenance effect of 82.6% (non-trained tasks) and 84.3% (trained tasks). The average ratio of delayed words was reduced by 55%; this improvement was also effectively retained after intervention. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that repetition practice and speech-rate control training can dramatically improve the speech production ability of patients with AOS and aphasia, as shown by greater articulation accuracy and a reduction of delayed words. © 2014 Korean Academy of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.