Faculty Publications

Dysarthria In Huntington's Disease

Document Type

Book Chapter

Keywords

assessment, augmentative and alternative communication, autosomal dominant inherited disorder, communication-oriented treatment, hereditary disorder, Huntington’s disease, hyperkinetic dysarthria, neurodegenerative disorder, speaker-oriented treatment, quality of life

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Oxford Handbook of Communication Disorders in Neurodegenerative Diseases

First Page

76

Last Page

95

Abstract

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorder that results in the gradual onset of motor, cognitive, and behavioral changes. Hyperkinetic dysarthria is the most common speech disorder diagnosed in HD and results in changes to speech intelligibility and naturalness, functional communication, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. The management of dysarthria in HD evolves over the course of the disease and must consider the individual’s changing speech function in the context of coexisting cognitive–communication, motor, and behavioral challenges. The speech assessment is designed to identify the perceptual speech features that influence intelligibility and naturalness and lead to a diagnosis of dysarthria type. Assessing the impact of dysarthria on functional communication and the individual’s quality of life is also critical to management. Treatment may include speaker-oriented approaches, communication-oriented approaches, and the use of augmentative and alternative communication techniques to facilitate improved communication throughout the course of the disease.

Department

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Original Publication Date

10-22-2025

DOI of published version

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198888482.013.0005

Link to Full Text

Comments?

Share

COinS