Contributions of Speech Timing and Precision to Speech Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease

What is it about?

Speech timing and clarity are both impacted in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), but how do they contribute to functional measures of communication like intelligibility and naturalness? Prior studies show that listeners' perceptions of timing and clarity may contribute to these measures but timing and clarity are related on their own. For the first time, this study examined the unique contribution of speech timing and clarity to intelligibility and naturalness in speakers with PD.

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Photo by leyre del rio on Unsplash

Photo by leyre del rio on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our finds show that speech clarity is related to intelligibility on its own, but not after taking into account the effect of speech timing on intelligibility, suggesting that the relationship between clarity and intelligibility may be partially due to other factors like timing. On the other hand, both timing and clarity uniquely contribute to naturalness. These results point to the components of speech therapy that may be most important for achieving functional speech goals in individuals with Parkinson's disease.