Classification of pediatric dysarthria in cerebral palsy

描述（由申请人提供）：构音障碍是一种运动性言语障碍，导致许多脑功能障碍儿童的言语清晰度降低并影响功能参与。 麻痹（CP）和其他神经发育障碍。与儿童构音障碍相关的言语特征在个体之间差异很大，并与声道结构、语音知识和言语运动控制方面的发育因素相互作用。总之，这些因素导致不同的临床语音表现。目前，还没有一个系统可以根据儿童语音的定量数据，以一种专为儿童设计的方式来识别儿童构音障碍的亚型，并可用于指导治疗。该研究旨在通过识别具有不同语音特征星座的儿童的定量衍生亚组，并调查亚组的语音模式对可懂度的影响，为开发一种新的儿科构音障碍分类系统提供基础。此外，本研究还将调查表明幼儿构音障碍存在的连接言语特征。具体目标1将使用连接语音样本的声学和感知测量来区分患有构音障碍的5岁儿童与具有年龄适当的语音错误的儿童，并确定最能预测构音障碍存在的语音测量。我们假设，连接言语的测量反映了言语子系统的运动控制（即，呼吸、发声、共鸣和发音）都将区分患有构音障碍的儿童与典型发育的儿童，并且可以用于预测幼儿中构音障碍的存在。具体目标2将使用分层聚类分析来识别具有不同语音特征星座的构音障碍儿童的聚类。我们假设，确定的集群将反映不同的儿童亚组， 语音子系统控制的模式，不同的语音特征星座将对可懂度产生不同的影响。本研究对提高儿童构音障碍的理论认识具有重要意义，并将潜在地推进临床实践B，促进构音障碍的早期诊断，并指导针对儿童亚组中可懂度缺陷的主要贡献者的干预策略的开发。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that results in reduced speech intelligibility and impacts functional participation for many children with cerebral palsy (CP) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The speech characteristics associated with pediatric dysarthria vary widely across individuals, and interact with developmental factors in vocal tract structure, phonological knowledge, and speech motor control. Together, these factors result in diverse clinical speech presentations. Currently, no system exists for identifyin subtypes of pediatric dysarthria in a way that is designed for children, based on quantitative data of children's speech, and can be used to direct treatment. The proposed study aims to provide a foundation for developing a novel pediatric dysarthria classification system by identifying quantitatively-derived subgroups of children with different constellations of speech features, and investigating the effect of subgroups' speech patterns on intelligibility. In additio, the study will investigate characteristics of connected speech that indicate the presence of dysarthria in young children. Specific Aim 1 will use acoustic and perceptual measurements of connected speech samples to differentiate 5-year-old children with dysarthria from children with age-appropriate speech errors, and identify speech measures that best predict the presence of dysarthria. We hypothesize that measures of connected speech reflecting motor control of speech subsystems (i.e., respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation) will both differentiate children with dysarthria from typically-developing children, and can be used to predict the presence of dysarthria in young children. Specific Aim 2 will use hierarchical cluster analysis to identify clusters of children with dysarthria who have distinct constellations of speec features. We hypothesize that identified clusters will reflect subgroups of children with different patterns of speech subsystem control, and that different constellations of speech features will have differential effects on intelligibility. This study has important implications for improving or theoretical understanding of pediatric dysarthria, and will potentially advance clinical practice b facilitating earlier diagnosis of dysarthria and directing development of intervention strategies that target predominant contributors to intelligibility deficits in subgroups of children.