An Internet-based telerehabilitation system for the assessment of motor speech disorders: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet-based telerehabilitation application for the assessment of motor speech disorders in adults with acquired neurological impairment.


METHODS
Using a counterbalanced, repeated measures research design, 2 speech-language pathologists assessed 19 speakers with dysarthria on a battery of perceptual assessments. The assessments included a 19-item version of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA; P. Enderby, 1983), the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (K. M. Yorkston & D. R. Beukelman, 1981), perceptual analysis of a speech sample, and an overall rating of severity of the dysarthria. One assessment was conducted in the traditional face-to-face manner, whereas the other assessment was conducted using an online, custom-built telerehabilitation application. This application enabled real-time videoconferencing at 128 kb/s and the transfer of store-and-forward audio and video data between the speaker and speech-language pathologist sites. The assessment methods were compared using the J. M. Bland and D. G. Altman (1986, 1999) limits-of-agreement method and percentage level of agreement between the 2 methods.


RESULTS
Measurements of severity of dysarthria, percentage intelligibility in sentences, and most perceptual ratings made in the telerehabilitation environment were found to fall within the clinically acceptable criteria. However, several ratings on the FDA were not comparable between the environments, and explanations for these results were explored.


CONCLUSIONS
The online assessment of motor speech disorders using an Internet-based telerehabilitation system is feasible. This study suggests that with additional refinement of the technology and assessment protocols, reliable assessment of motor speech disorders over the Internet is possible. Future research methods are outlined.
The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. a.hill@shrs.uq.edu.au
Anne J
AJ
Hill
Deborah G
DG
Theodoros
Trevor G
TG
Russell
Louise M
LM
Cahill
Elizabeth C
EC
Ward
Kathy M
KM
Clark
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019114:Remote Consultation; D013062:Speech Articulation Tests; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*