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Pause and Speech Durations Across Speaking Rates for ALS Speakers

Pause and Speech Durations Across Speaking Rates for ALS Speakers. David Beukelman, Laura Ball, Jordan Green, Miechelle McKelvey, Gary Pattee University of Nebraska, Lincoln University of Nebraska Medical Center

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Pause and Speech Durations Across Speaking Rates for ALS Speakers

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  1. Pause and Speech Durations Across Speaking Rates for ALS Speakers David Beukelman, Laura Ball, Jordan Green, Miechelle McKelvey, Gary Pattee University of Nebraska, Lincoln University of Nebraska Medical Center Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Presentation will be available on UNL AAC website: www.aac.unl.edu

  2. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the speech performance of 37 persons with ALS across a range of habitual speaking rates in terms of number of pauses, pause time and speech time.

  3. Methods: Participants 37 persons with ALS diagnosed Age: 34 to 76 years. Speaking rates: 45 to 230 WPM (Sentence Intelligibility Test) 10 non-disabled participants served as controls.

  4. Methods: Speech Samples Each participant read aloud a standard paragraph, the Puppy Passage developed by Hammen and colleagues, 1989, 1994, and 1996.

  5. Methods: Measurement • Speech samples were acoustically analyzed using a PC computer with CoolEdit Software. • A pause event was defined as an absence of speech for 200 milliseconds or more. • A speech event was defined as an interval in which speech occurred.

  6. Speaking Rate & Intelligibility

  7. Speaking Rate &Number of Pauses (r = .796) = Control

  8. Speaking Rate & Pause Time (seconds) (r = -.912) = Control

  9. Speaking Rate & Speech Time (seconds) (r = -.851) = Control

  10. Speech Time (s) Pause Time (s) Pause time X Speech Time X Rate

  11. Pause Location Control Speakers ALS Speakers Sentence Clause Phrase Within Phrase Within Word

  12. Speaking Rate - Vowel Duration Puppy (r = -.594) Dad (r = -.640) Choosing (r = -.799) Feet (r = -.650)

  13. Speaking Rate - Initial Consonant Duration /p/ (r = -.260) /f/ (r = -.577) /v/ (r = -.554) /b/ (r = -.553)

  14. Speaking Rate - Medial Consonant Duration /p/ ( r = -.408) /s/ (r = -.199) /z/ (r = -.512) /b/ (r = -.598)

  15. Conclusions 1. Participants in this study exhibited the expected speaking rate -- speech intelligibility function. 2. The number of pauses increased as speaking rate decreased below 130 wpm. 3. Pause time increased as speaking rate decreased below 150 wpm. 4. Speech time increased as speaking rate decreased. 5. Pause locations differed for control and ALS speakers.

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