Active clinical trials for "Speech Disorders"

This study will assess the use of ultrasound-a test that uses sound waves to produce images-as a diagnostic tool for evaluating speech and swallowing. The following categories of individuals may be eligible for this study: 1) healthy volunteers between 20 and 85 years old with normal speech and hearing, 2) patients 6 to 85 years old with developmental neurological deficits in speech or swallowing, and 3) patients with tumors of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx being treated at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Participants will undergo a 30-minute speech and oral motion evaluation, in which they imitate sounds, words and oral movements while a speech pathologist evaluates their lip, tongue and palate movements. They may also be asked to drink a small amount of water for examination of swallowing function. For the ultrasound examination, a 3/4-inch transducer (device for transmitting and receiving sound waves) is placed under the participant's chin. While the transducer is in place, the subject 1) repeats sounds and a series of syllables in several sequences, 2) swallows three times with and without a small amount of water, and 3) swallows 3 teaspoons of non-fat pudding. The ultrasound images are recorded on tape for later analysis.

The main objectives of this study are: 1) to determine whether various levels of severity of oral candidiasis (thrush) in the child are associated with different levels of speech production, feeding skills, and self-concept, and 2) to assess the effect of the reduction of oral thrush over time on the speech function, feeding skills, and self-concept in HIV-infected patients who already are receiving various antifungal medications for treatment of their thrush (Note: Decisions regarding antifungal therapy are made completely independent from this study). Children with HIV disease, ages 6-21 years, who have oral thrush are eligible to paricipate in the study. The child and his/her parent will be asked to complete a variety of measures at specific time intervals over approximately one month during visits to the National Institutes of Health for treatment on other protocols. First, a nurse will rate the location and severity of thrush in the child's mouth. Then the parent will complete questionnaires assessing the effect of oral thrush on the child's feeding and speech skills and everyday functioning. Finally, the child will be administered a brief speech and oral-motor evaluation and will complete some questionnaires about how the thrush affects his/her day-to-day activities and self-concept. The results of this study may help to better understand the cause of expressive language deficits observed in some children with HIV infection. More specifically, it will determine if any speech and feeding problems of HIV-infected children are associated with oral thrush. Learning more about the impact of oral thrush on the speech, feeding, and the self-concept of children with HIV disease may be used for parent and patient education and to develop rehabilitative recommendations to benefit HIV-infected patients with oral thrush.

The aim of this study is evaluate a software developed for alternative communication designed for people with speech difficulties. The software was executed by 30 volunteers using mobile devices that helped to play the scenarios simulated of communication situations.

Speech is a privileged means of communication for humans: its trouble can thus prove being extremely handicapping. Standard speech therapy is limited in some cases by the lack of sensory feedback available to the patient (hearing, surgery, neural damage, etc.). The present study aims at quantify the contribution of the tongue articulatory visual feedback offered by ultrasound echography to speech trouble rehabilitation. Two complementary populations will be studied : 30 adults with buccopharyngeal surgery, and 10 childrens with important speech troubles due to central nervous system damage. The principle is to conduct standard speech therapy sessions, alternating series of sessions with the use of visual feedback and sessions without visual feedback. The progress will be regularly measured by means of standard batteries of speech articulation tests.

The investigators will test the feasibility of using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and speech therapy to treat participants with motor speech disorders caused by Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Pathology including nonfluent variant Primary Progressive Aphasia, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Corticobasal Syndrome, or behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia. The investigators will deliver transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) either in a clinic setting at the University of California San Francisco, or in patients' homes, via a consumer tDCS device and videoconferencing. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique that can enhance the benefits of speech therapy treatment. Participants will receive a dose of tDCS stimulation + speech therapy and a dose of sham tDCS + speech therapy in a randomized double blind crossover study performed either in the clinic or at home via videoconferencing. This study can be performed entirely remotely.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 transmits through droplets; thus, oral, nasal, and conjunctival mucosas are related to contamination, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) is strongly suggested. Several communication problems between the patient and healthcare workers related to PPE use are reported. In this study, investigators aimed to investigate changes in the acoustic parameters of speech sounds when different PPE are used.

Our past ultrasound research has indicated a need for baseline normative tongue data against which to compare our disordered speech populations. Subjects with normal speech and hearing who represent different ages and sexes, will be studied with respect to tongue shape and movement patterns. Recently developed parameters such as curve fitting, curve averaging, and polar coordinates will be used to create baseline data categories. In addition, new parameters and improved instruments will be developed as previously to produce a data base which can be used across disciplines.

Purpose of the study is the validation and cultual adaptation of the Turkish translation of the London Speech Evaluation Scale (LSE-T), so that it would be used as an assessment tool for Turkish head and neck cancer patients. There is no validated Turkish version of LSE to measure severity of perceptual speech in head and neck cancer patients.

According to studies, speech disorders with unknown causes (idiopathic) affect approximately 5% of the population at some point in their life. Some of these disorders like, stuttering and cluttering, are known for being detected early, during speech development. Stuttering is characterized by sound and syllable repetitions and consonant/vowel prolongations. When stuttering is moderate to severe, it can interfere with a person's job and social activities. Speech articulation disorders are characterized by omissions, or substitutions of speech sounds. The speech of a person who clutters is often difficult to understand. People are often unaware of the errors they make when speaking causing treatment of the condition to be very difficult. The purpose of this research is to study an extended family whose members exhibit a pure form of speech articulation disorders In addition, the study will use data and information gathered from the study and use it to develop guidelines (criteria) for defining and differentiating patients with speech disorders.

To better define the clinical characteristics of oromandibular dystonia, we aimed to study voice, speech and swallowing disorders in idiopathic oromandibular We planned to include consecutive patients followed in Lille Movement disorders department for idiopathic oromandibular dystonia and matched, healthy control subjects. Voice and speech disorders had to be assessed with the phonetic analysis, perceptive analysis and motor examination modules of the "Batterie d'Evaluation Clinique de la Dysarthrie" (Clinical Evaluation of Dysarthria), the Grade, Rough, Breathy, Asthenic, Strained scale, and a computer recording. Activities of daily living had to be assessed with the Oromandibular Dystonia Questionnaire, the Voice Handicap Index and the Deglutition Handicap Index.