The feasibility of a kinematic measure of lip closure during meaningful speech

Purpose : Assessment of dysarthria has traditionally been based on perceptual methods. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of using 2D kinematic analysis to measure lip closure during normal speech. Method : Retroflective markers (4 mm diameter) were placed on the midline of each lip of three healthy male, caucasian volunteers aged 69 years who repeated the sentence 'My mother made me an apple and blackberry pie' six times. Videorecordings were analysed using the Ariel Performance Analysis System to calculate the distance between the lips before, during and after the sentence. Results : The graphs produced from the data objectively measured the distance between the lips and identified the eight bilabial sounds. However, in spite of stringent study criteria to minimize differences linked to age, gender and race, differences were found between participants. Conclusion : Kinematic 2D analysis may have potential for the objective measurement of lip closure in dysarthria in the context of meaningful speech. These results justify further pilot work to explore: the possible variability within defined populations; and the usefulness of 2D kinematic analysis in the measurement of disordered lip closure in dysarthria.