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

Abstract

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.

• Dysarthria
• communicative effectiveness
• traumatic brain injury
• intelligibility
• speech

Notes

†All TBI participants exhibited long-standing communication impairment; therefore, it was considered appropriate to compare survey data with speech data acquired 12 months prior.