Dysarthria and Friedreich's ataxia: what can intelligibility assessment tell us?

Background: Friedreich's ataxia is one of the most common hereditary disorders of the nervous system. Dysarthria is a pervasive symptom of Friedreich's ataxia, yet the clinical presentation of speech symptoms remains poorly understood, leaving clinicians without the evidence required to develop therapy interventions.

Aims: The research reported herein had three aims: the first was to document the severity of the intelligibility deficit associated with Friedreich's ataxia dysarthria; the second was to document the phonetic profile of the intelligibility deficit; and the third was to use the results of the phonetic profile to estimate the motor control mechanisms and neurological substrates implicated in Friedreich's ataxia dysarthria.