Title

Objective measurement of vocal parameters in older people with and without Parkinson's disease in their natural environments: a pilot study

Publication Title

Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders

ISSN

1092-5171

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore whether significant differences existed in mean amplitude and total phonation time between a group of older individuals with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) and an age- and gender-matched control group (NO PD) in their natural environments, based on data collected by the ambulatory phonation monitor (APM; KayPENTAX).

Method: In this prospective, between-groups study, 5 individuals with PD and 5 NO PD controls wore the APM on 3 typical 8-hr days. The dependent variables included mean amplitude and total phonation time as measured by the APM. All of the participants also completed a self-estimated talk time log and an APM- use questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and a repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results: The NO PD group exhibited significantly higher mean amplitudes than the group with PD. The 2 groups did not differ in total phonation time. The group with PD significantly overestimated talk time compared to the NO PD group.

Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that the APM may be used to objectively measure specific vocal parameters in a person’s natural communica- tion environment. However, larger sample sizes are needed to better understand the device’s usefulness.

Volume

42

First Page

100

Last Page

109

Comments

Published as: Donovan, Neila J., Boudreaux, Danielle M. and Savage, Megan C. (2015). Objective measurement of vocal parameters in older people with and without Parkinson's disease in their natural environments: A pilot study. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 42(2), 100-109. https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/ASHA/Publications/cicsd/2015S-Objective-Measurement-of-Vocal-Parameters.pdf

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