CONTRIBUTION OF PHONATION DISORDERS TO IM PAIRED COMMUNICATION IN PATIENTS WITH HUNTINGTONS-DISEASE

Communication disorders seen in patients with Huntington's disease are largely due to the presence of choreic movements, As the disease prog resses, the patient becomes less and less apt to initiate communicatio n and tends only to respond to queries: Although these responses can r emain informative, their lexical and syntactic content becomes increas ingly limited as cognitive function deteriorates. Speech therapy focus es on maintaining an intelligible message and developing nonverbal com munication. The speech therapist also has a part to play in providing guidance to the relatives of these patients who gradually lose their s ocial identity and their ability to communicate.