ABSTRACT
Aim: To examine the relationship between subjective parent ratings of intelligibility and objectively measured intelligibility scores for children with cerebral palsy (CP) with differing levels of speech severity.
Method: Fifty children (84–96 months) with CP were classified into groups based on intelligibility scores during a speech elicitation task – high intelligibility (90% or higher), mild-moderate intelligibility reduction (61–89%), and severe intelligibility reduction (60% or lower). Parent ratings of understandability (on a 7-point scale) were compared to intelligibility scores gathered from 100 naïve listeners.
Results: For children with mild-moderate and severe intelligibility reduction, there was a large range of variability in parent ratings. For children with high intelligibility, ratings were consistent with intelligibility scores. There was a range of intelligibility scores within each rating, especially in the middle of the scale.
Conclusions: For children with mild-moderate intelligibility deficits, parent ratings may best be used in conjunction with objective measurement of intelligibility.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the children and families who participated in this research as well as the graduate and undergraduate students in the Wisconsin Intelligibility, Speech, and Communication Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who assisted in data collection and data reduction.
Disclosure Statement
The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.