Speech intelligibility and perceptions of communication effectiveness by speakers with dysarthria following traumatic brain injury and their communication partners.

BRAIN damage complications; ANALYSIS of variance; ARTICULATION disorders; CHRONIC diseases; COMPARATIVE studies; CONVERSATION; STATISTICAL correlation; FAMILIES; PROBABILITY theory; RESEARCH evaluation; RESEARCH funding; PHYSIOLOGICAL aspects of speech; STATISTICS; SURVEYS; U-statistics; VERBAL behavior testing; PILOT projects; DATA analysis; ARTICULATION (Speech); INTER-observer reliability; MEDICAL rehabilitation

Primary objective: This study examined differences in perceived communicative effectiveness between a group of eight participants with chronic dysarthria following TBI and their nominated communication partners (TBIP). The relationship between communicative effectiveness and listener ratings of speech intelligibility was also examined. Research design: Group comparison design. Methods and procedures: The Communicative Effectiveness Survey was completed by the participants with TBI and their communication partner. Speech intelligibility of the eight adults with dysarthria was rated by nine naive listeners using direct magnitude estimation. Main outcomes and results: The participants with TBI tended to rate their communicative effectiveness higher than their TBIP; however, this trend was not significant. No significant differences were noted between the TBI and TBIP groups in ratings of communicative effectiveness in various communication settings. No significant relationship was found between conversation level intelligibility and perceptions of communicative effectiveness, as rated by individuals with TBI and TBIP. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the need for collaborative participation in the therapeutic process by all stakeholders. The lack of correlation between speech intelligibility and perceived communicative effectiveness highlights the need for careful examination of activity and participation during assessment and goal-setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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