Understand Me for Life: Using Noise-augmented Automatic Speech Recognition to Improve Intelligibility in Parkinson's Disease
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether noise-augmented feedback using automatic speech recognition improves intelligibility and social participation in individuals with Parkinson's disease. The main questions the investigators will address are: Does noise-augmented feedback lead to increased intelligibility, as measured by transcription accuracy scores? Does a self-managed speech protocol lead to increased social participation, as measured by the Communicative Participation Item Bank and the Communicative Effectiveness Index questionnaires? Participants will: Receive 2-4 initial speech assessments in-person in our lab. Engage in speech treatment sessions at home using their phone and computer four days a week for four weeks. Four of those sessions will be directly monitored online by a speech-language pathologist. The rest of the sessions are completed by the participant. Come to the lab for two post-treatment assessments following completion of treatment. Come to the lab six months after treatment completion for an additional assessment.
• Participants will qualify for the study if:
‣ They are 50-80 years old,
⁃ They have a medical diagnosis of PD,
⁃ They are within stages I-IV of Hoehn \& Yahr Scale,
⁃ Their antiparkinsonian medication schedule is stable,
⁃ They present with mild to moderate dysarthria,
⁃ They score ≥ 25 in the MMSE,
⁃ They score ≤ 24 in the BDI-III.