MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE TESTS IN CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL SPASTIC DYSARTHRIA

Three noninvasive Maximum Performance Tasks (MPT)-Maximum Sound Prolon gation (MSP), Fundamental Frequency Range (FFR), and Maximum Repetitio n Rate (MRR)-were administered to 11 children with spastic dysarthria due to cerebral palsy and to 11 control children with normal speech in order to determine the value of the tasks for differentiating between these groups of children. From the acoustic measurements, nine parame ters were calculated, and in seven of them highly significant group di fferences were found. By adding the unweighted z-scores of four parame ters (maximum sound prolongation, syllable duration, fundamental frequ ency range, inter-utterance variability of syllable duration), a compo site z-score was constructed with nonoverlapping distributions for bot h groups. The authors conclude that maximum performance tasks, despite the large intrasubject and intersubject variability in both normal an d pathological speakers, are powerful tools for detecting spastic dysa rthria.