Assessing Speech and Breathing Patterns to Understand Dysarthria in Adults with Brain Injury

What this Trial Is About

This observational study focuses on adults who have acquired brain injury ABI and aims to describe how their speech and breathing patterns change, especially relating to dysarthria, a speech disorder. Researchers want to understand what voice and breathing changes occur in people with dysarthria after ABI and whether combining different speech and respiratory tests can help identify the severity and type of dysarthria. Participants undergo a set of evaluations in a controlled clinical setting. These include recording speech sounds to measure voice features like pitch and clarity, performing breathing tests with a spirometer to assess lung function, and completing the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment-2 FDA-2 adapted for Spanish, to classify dysarthria type and severity. All assessments happen during a baseline evaluation period without any treatment or follow-up. During the study, participants will have their speech and breathing measured using standardized methods to ensure consistent and reliable results. Researchers will analyze these data to explore links between speech and respiratory function and dysarthria severity. The study plans to include about 97 to 101 adults and aims to help speech therapists improve detection and evaluation of dysarthria after brain injury.

ACURES: Acoustic and Respiratory Parameters for Dysarthria Assessment