title: Changes in voice quality after speech-language therapy intervention in older children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether perceived voice quality is altered in a group of children with cerebral palsy (CP) following an intervention focusing on respiration and phonation, and whether possible improvements might be associated with increased intelligibility levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen individuals with CP and dysarthria (9 girls, mean age 14 years, SD = 2; 9 with spastic type CP, 2 dyskinetic, 4 mixed, 1 Worster-Drought syndrome) completed intelligibility assessments on separate days twice before intervention, at termination of treatment and at 6-week follow-up using 50 words from the Children's Speech Intelligibility Measure lists, and describing cartoon strips. Experienced speech-language pathologists rated voice quality employing GRBAS scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no clear evidence that change in voice quality pre-post intervention was large compared with change in the pre-intervention or post-intervention periods. Asthenia demonstrated largest improvement (effect size of 0.4). Intelligibility correlated weakly with Grade, Breathiness and Asthenia, but not with Roughness or Strain. A deterioration of 1 unit on the Grade and Asthenia scales was associated with an approximately 11% decrease in intelligibility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived changes in voice quality were small compared to changes in intelligibility. Further investigations must examine other variables potentially associated with intelligibility gain to better understand the links between the respiratory-phonatory intervention and improved intelligibility.
authors: Institute of Health and Society University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Great Britain.
authors: Nick
authors: N
authors: Miller
authors: Lindsay
authors: L
authors: Pennington
authors: Sheila
authors: S
authors: Robson
authors: Ella
authors: E
authors: Roelant
authors: Nick
authors: N
authors: Steen
authors: Eftychia
authors: E
authors: Lombardo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000628:therapy*; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D007808:Language Therapy; D008297:Male; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013070:Speech Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014833:Voice Quality