RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of task-oriented approach in treating patients with spastic dysarthria. METHODS: A randomized control trial was undertaken in 44 inpatients diagnosed with spastic dysarthria at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in West China Hospital. All of the participants received basic medical therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and an articulation approach for speech therapy by a professional speech therapist over a one month period. A task-oriented approach was added to the speech therapy regime of the test group of participants by another professional speech therapist over the same period of time. The outcomes of speech therapy were measured by the Frenchay dysarthria assessment (FDA). RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in the test group in relation to 15 FDA items, such as dribbling, lips spread, and palate maintenance (P<0. 05). The performance of the participants in the test group on the rest of FDA items also demonstrated an improvement trend compared with that of the controls (P>0. 05) except for the three items in relation to cough, lips at rest and jaw in speech. CONCLUSION: Task-oriented approach for speech therapy is effective in treating patients with spastic dysarthria. A task-oriented approach in combination with an articulation approach can produce better patient outcomes compared with the articulation approach alone. Further studies are warranted.