The Application of Singing and Rhythmic Instruction as a Therapeutic Intervention for Persons with Neurogenic Communication Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of singing instruction and rhythmic instruction on the rate of speech and verbal intelligibility of neurologically impaired persons and to ascertain the influence of age, premorbid musical experience, and type of neurological impairment upon the subject's speech production. The subjects were 32 patients with neurogenic communication disorders who were residents of a chronic care facility. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the rhythm instruction group (n = 9), the singing instruction group (n = 9) and the control group (n = 14). A repeated-measures, factorial design was implemented to compare speech performance between the three groups. The treatment groups met twice a week, 30 minutes per session, for a total of 9 weeks. The results of a one-way analysis of variance and analysis of covariance indicated significant differences between groups in verbal intelligiblity, with the singing group making the most progress (F = 4.99, p =.014). Although there were not significant differences in speech rate between groups, both treatment groups improved over the course of the study while the control group maintained their previous rate of speech. A multiple regression analysis revealed that, while premorbid musical experience was not a significant factor, the treatment subjects' age range (t = 2.96, p = .005) and type of neurological impairment (t = 2.69, p = .009) were significant predictors of speech performance.

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