TRAUMATIC VERSUS PERINATALLY ACQUIRED DYSARTHRIA - ASSESSMENT BY MEANS OF SPEECH-LIKE MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE-TASKS

The performance of two children with traumatic spastic dysarthria, age d 10 and 14 years, on maximum performance tasks was compared with that of two closely matched children with perinatal spastic dysarthria, an d reference groups of five children with perinatal spastic dysarthria and five control children with normal speech. Results showed that perf ormance of the perinatal spastic children on all three tasks was poore r than that of their peers with normal speech. In contrast, the trauma tic spastic children performed within the normal limits on maximum sou nd prolongation and fundamental frequency range, but their maximum rep etition rate was extremely slow. The overall low performance of the pe rinatal spastic children could be the result of inadequate motor devel opment in addition to the neurological impairment. The traumatic spast ic children - with a normal developmental history - compensated for th eir impairment by slowing down their speech rate. Therapeutic implicat ions are suggested.