Journal article
Dysfluencies in the speech of adults with intellectual disabilities and reported speech difficulties
Journal of communication disorders, Vol.46(5-6), pp.484-494
09/2013
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2013.08.001
PMID: 24011852
Abstract
•Dysfluencies in the speech of adults with intellectual disabilities and speech difficulties were charted and classified.•75% of the participants showed dysfluency symptoms and 25% did not.•21% was cluttering, 29% cluttering–stuttering, 25% was cluttering with normal articulatory rate.•No participant was classified as stuttering.•Classifying dysfluencies in adults with ID is important for choosing the right treatment.
In individuals with an intellectual disability, speech dysfluencies are more common than in the general population. In clinical practice, these fluency disorders are generally diagnosed and treated as stuttering rather than cluttering.
To characterise the type of dysfluencies in adults with intellectual disabilities and reported speech difficulties with an emphasis on manifestations of stuttering and cluttering, which distinction is to help optimise treatment aimed at improving fluency and intelligibility.
The dysfluencies in the spontaneous speech of 28 adults (18–40 years; 16 men) with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities (IQs 40–70), who were characterised as poorly intelligible by their caregivers, were analysed using the speech norms for typically developing adults and children. The speakers were subsequently assigned to different diagnostic categories by relating their resulting dysfluency profiles to mean articulatory rate and articulatory rate variability.
Twenty-two (75%) of the participants showed clinically significant dysfluencies, of which 21% were classified as cluttering, 29% as cluttering–stuttering and 25% as clear cluttering at normal articulatory rate. The characteristic pattern of stuttering did not occur.
The dysfluencies in the speech of adults with intellectual disabilities and poor intelligibility show patterns that are specific for this population. Together, the results suggest that in this specific group of dysfluent speakers interventions should be aimed at cluttering rather than stuttering.
Learning outcomes: The reader will be able to (1) describe patterns of dysfluencies in the speech of adults with intellectual disabilities that are specific for this group of people, (2) explain that a high rate of dysfluencies in speech is potentially a major determiner of poor intelligibility in adults with ID and (3) describe suggestions for intervention focusing on cluttering rather than stuttering in dysfluent speakers with ID.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Dysfluencies in the speech of adults with intellectual disabilities and reported speech difficulties
- Creators
- Marjolein C Coppens-Hofman - Radboud University NijmegenHayo R Terband - Radboud University NijmegenBen A.M Maassen - University of GroningenHenny M.J van Schrojenstein Lantman-De Valk - Radboud University NijmegenYvonne van Zaalen-op’t Hof - Fontys University of Applied Science Eindhoven, Communicative Assessment & Technology, The NetherlandsAd F.M Snik - Radboud University Nijmegen
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of communication disorders, Vol.46(5-6), pp.484-494
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2013.08.001
- PMID
- 24011852
- NLM abbreviation
- J Commun Disord
- ISSN
- 0021-9924
- eISSN
- 1873-7994
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- name: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW), Programme Intellectual Disabilities, award: 57000002
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2013
- Academic Unit
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Record Identifier
- 9984258843802771
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