Distinguishing between dysarthria types based on acoustic parameters

Abstract

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder resulting from neurological impairments. Because of the variability of impairments and deviant speech characteristics, it is useful to categorize it into types. The current study gives an overview of the main types of dysarthria, describing the different underlying causes, some deviant speech characteristics arising from those impairments, as well as the corresponding acoustic parameters, and some possible methods to measure the most relevant acoustic features. Six main groups of acoustic parameters were identified that could help distinguish between the types of dysarthria. Since the properties of the acoustic signal are connected to the manner of articulation, which is dependent on the neuromuscular system, the precise description of acoustic features of dysarthric speech could provide valuable information that could aid localization and differential diagnosis.