Identification of dysarthria types based on perceptual analysis.

This study was conducted to investigate the degree of accuracy with which three groups of listeners could use perceptual analysis alone for identification of specific dysarthria types. The dysarthria types to be identified in this study were identical to those described by Darley, Aronson, and Brown (1969a): Flaccid, Spastic, Ataxic, Hypokinetic, Hyperkinetic Chorea, Hyperkinetic Dystonia, and Mixed. Each group demonstrated minimal success in the accurate identification of specific dysarthria types. Factors that possibly contributed to this poor success and potential implications are discussed.