Calaf Neus, Mekyska Jiri, Mucha Jan, Faundez-Zanuy Marcos
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
Department of Telecommunications, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic.
Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2025 Sep-Oct;60(5):e70122. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.70122.
Dysarthria, a motor speech disorder that has a significant impact on communication, requires precise assessment for accurate diagnosis and intervention. Although internationally recognised assessment tools exist, many are not culturally or linguistically adapted for Spanish-speaking populations. The objective of this study was to investigate how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Spain navigate the lack of appropriate dysarthria assessment tools and identify the additional resources and tools required to enhance evaluation practices.
This cross-sectional study surveyed 73 licensed SLPs in Spain using a 36-question online questionnaire, collecting data on a broad spectrum of topics, such as clinical experience, dysarthria assessment tools, tasks, and bilingual/multilingual practices. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to identify and highlight the key trends.
The findings revealed that participants commonly relied on informal tools for dysarthria assessment, with frequent use of linguistically dependent tasks, such as word repetition, loud reading, and sentence repetition, in addition to orofacial motricity. Participants also reported low use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and showed confusion regarding the validation status of the tools they used. Additionally, many expressed dissatisfaction with the current tools, highlighting the lack of comprehensive and culturally adapted instruments.
This study underscores the urgent need for validated, standardised, culturally and linguistically adapted tools for dysarthria assessment in Spain. The reliance on informal assessments and the combination of multiple tools highlights gaps in current resources. Future efforts should focus on developing comprehensive, adaptable tools that address the full range of dysarthria symptoms and raise awareness about the importance of tool validation to ensure consistent and effective care for Spain's diverse population.
What is already known on this subject Effective dysarthria assessment requires precise, standardised tools to inform diagnosis and intervention. While different tools are available internationally, they are mostly in English, with a few culturally adapted versions. This study was needed to address the lack of adapted tools for Spanish-speaking clinicians, as this gap may affect diagnostic accuracy in Spain. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Our study reveals that Spanish SLPs predominantly rely on informal tools to assess dysarthria due to the absence of culturally and linguistically adapted standardised instruments. This study provides detailed insights into the challenges SLPs face in Spain, the tools they currently use, and their perspectives on necessary resources to improve dysarthria assessment practices. What are the potential or actual clinical implications for this work? These findings underscore the need for developing culturally and linguistically validated dysarthria assessment tools for Spanish-speaking SLPs, which would support more consistent and accurate diagnoses, ultimately benefiting patients' clinical outcomes across Spain.
构音障碍是一种对沟通有重大影响的运动性言语障碍，需要进行精确评估以实现准确诊断和干预。尽管存在国际认可的评估工具，但许多工具在文化或语言方面并未针对讲西班牙语的人群进行调整。本研究的目的是调查西班牙的言语治疗师如何应对缺乏合适的构音障碍评估工具的问题，并确定加强评估实践所需的额外资源和工具。
这项横断面研究使用一份包含36个问题的在线问卷对西班牙73名有执照的言语治疗师进行了调查，收集了广泛主题的数据，如临床经验、构音障碍评估工具、任务以及双语/多语言实践。使用描述性统计分析来识别和突出关键趋势。
研究结果显示，参与者通常依赖非正式工具进行构音障碍评估，除口面部运动功能外，还经常使用语言依赖任务，如单词重复、大声朗读和句子重复。参与者还报告称很少使用患者报告结局量表（PROMs），并且对他们所使用工具的验证状态感到困惑。此外，许多人对当前工具表示不满，强调缺乏全面且适合文化背景的工具。
本研究强调了西班牙迫切需要经过验证、标准化、适合文化和语言背景的构音障碍评估工具。对非正式评估的依赖以及多种工具的组合凸显了当前资源的不足。未来的努力应集中在开发全面、可适应的工具，以解决构音障碍的所有症状，并提高对工具验证重要性的认识，以确保为西班牙多样化的人群提供一致且有效的护理。
关于该主题已有的知识 有效的构音障碍评估需要精确、标准化的工具来为诊断和干预提供依据。虽然国际上有不同的工具，但大多是英文的，只有少数经过文化调整的版本。由于这一差距可能会影响西班牙的诊断准确性，因此需要进行这项研究来解决讲西班牙语的临床医生缺乏适用工具的问题。本文对现有知识的补充 我们的研究表明，由于缺乏适合文化和语言背景的标准化工具，西班牙的言语治疗师主要依赖非正式工具来评估构音障碍。本研究详细深入地探讨了西班牙言语治疗师面临的挑战、他们目前使用的工具以及他们对改善构音障碍评估实践所需资源的看法。这项工作潜在或实际的临床意义是什么？这些发现强调了为讲西班牙语的言语治疗师开发经过文化和语言验证的构音障碍评估工具的必要性，这将有助于实现更一致、准确的诊断，最终使西班牙各地患者的临床结局受益。
