Friedreich's ataxia Nervous System Diseases Early-onset cerebellar ataxia
Conditions
Interventions
Participants are offered a course of 16 sessions of LSVT Artic over the course of 4 weeks. Prior to this they will have completed a no treatment phrase of the same duration. LSVT Artic consists of fou
Sponsors
University of Strathclyde
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Confirmed diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia 2. Mild to moderate speech impairment 3. No previous SLT input 4. No history of other neurological or developmental problems affecting speech or language 5. Fluent English speaker 6. Enough hearing and visual ability to follow the therapy programme over Zoom and read large print therapy materials 7. Access to a computer, tablet or smartphone and a good enough internet connection to take part in online therapy. 8. Above 18 years of age 9. Not in receipt of other speech treatment from the NHS or private sector during the duration of this study, or have received such treatment in the past
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosis of another type of ataxia 2. Previously in receipt of SLT 3. Presence of other neurological or speech and language problems 4. English language skills too poor to allow reliable evaluation of speech patterns 5. Below 18 years of age 6. No access to necessary technology 7. Vision and hearing too impaired to allow participation in assessment and treatment sessions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Speech outcome measures consisting of: 1. Speed of syllable repetitions (p, t, k, p-t, n-g, oo-ee & oo-ah) is expressed as the average number of repetitions in 5 seconds over 5 attempts at baseline (weeks 1 & 4) and post-treatment (weeks 8 and 32); 2. Clarity of syllable repetitions is judged by trained listeners over 5 attempts at baseline (weeks 1 & 4) and post-treatment (weeks 8 and 32); 3. Intelligibility and naturalness of the reading passage are rated with a Direct Magnitude Evaluation method by trained listeners at weeks 1, 4, 8 and 32; 4. Intelligibility and naturalness of 1 minute monologue samples are rated on a visual analogue scale by trained listeners at weeks 1, 4, 8 and 32. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Vowel space is measured through LPC analysis of word repetitions at weeks 1, 4, 8 and 32; 2. Communication confidence is rated on a 1-10 scale by participants at weeks 1, 8 and 32; 3. Communication participation is measured using the Communication Participation Item Bank (Baylor et al. 2013) at weeks 1, 8 and 32. | — |
Countries
Scotland, United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed