NORMAL AND ABNORMAL SPEECH PRODUCTION BIOMECHANICS

There is a limited amount of information available on the
biomechanics of speech production. proposed in this application
are four studies related to speech production biomechanics, two
involving normal speech production and two involving abnormal
speech production. One study of normal speech production is
concerned with the effects of age and sex on laryngeal valving. In
this study, laryngeal valving, as determined through measures of
laryngeal airway resistance, will be documented in healthy men
and women ranging in age from 20 to 80 years. The data obtained
from this study will provide insight into normal mechanism and
provide a normal data base against which to compare data from
individuals with voice disorders. Another study of normal speech
production will examine the development of velopharyngeal
function. This will be a longitudinal study of subjects of both
sexes, beginning at week 1 of life and continuing until the subject
reaches 3 years of age. This study will provide physiologic
evidence for the age at which velopharyngeal closure occurs for
speech production and document patterns of velopharyngeal
function during the first 3 years of life. This information will be
relevant to understanding normal mechanism as well as providing
a norm against which clinical data can be compared. One of the
studies related to abnormal speech production involves
documentation of the nature of speech breathing in individuals
with spinal cord injury and of the effects of abdominal trussing on
the speech breathing and speech of such individuals. This study
represents the first formal attempt to examine the effects of
abdominal trussing in general, and the effects of different degrees
of trussing in particular. The results of this study will have direct
clinical implications for individuals with spinal cord injury as well
as individuals with impairments of the breathing apparatus caused
by other neural disorders. Another study of abnormal speech
production involves examination of the speech breathing of
individuals with Parkinson's disease. The proposed study will
provide detailed information regarding the speech breathing and
general respiratory function of such individuals. This study will
elucidate the influence of Parkinson's disease on breathing
function, including speech breathing function, and may suggest
better methods for evaluation and management of such function
in clients with Parkinson's disease or other hypokinetic disorders.