The Effect of Aging and Synthetic Topic Cues on the Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech

For speakers with severe dysarthria, particularly those with progressive diseases, behavioral modifications to improve intelligibility are often unrealistic. This study examined the impact of cues produced by an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device on the intelligibility of dysarthric speech. Young and old adults listened to sentences preceded by cues that were either general ("I have a question") or topic specific ("I have a question about [topic]"). The analyses revealed significant age- and cue-type effects: Younger listeners were more accurate than older listeners were, and topic cues resulted in greater accuracy than general cues. There was also a word class effect that interacted with cue type. The results show that providing topic cues enhances the intelligibility of dysarthric speech.