Clinical Identification of Dysarthria Types among Neurologists, Residents in Neurology and Speech Therapists

Background: Classification of dysarthria types comprises flaccid, spastic, ataxic, hypo- and hyperkinetic and mixed dysarthria. This study focussed on the ability of neurologists to clinically identify the correct type of dysarthria in neurological patients. Methods: Eighteen patients with dysarthria and 4 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The gold standard for dysarthria type was the underlying neurological disease. Recordings of a standard reading passage and free speech were made. Raters were neurologists, residents in neurology and speech therapists, whose scores were compared. Results: Neurologists correctly identified 40% of the recordings, residents 41%, and speech therapists 37%. Interrater agreement was fair among all 3 groups; intrarater agreement was fair to moderate. Conclusion: This study suggests that neurologists should be aware of the unreliability of identifying the dysarthria type without the use of additional validated instruments or rating scales in a clinical setting.