University of Wisconsin–Madison

Welcome to the SPEAK Study!

Learn more about enrollment

Introduction

Many children with motor impairment or cerebral palsy (CP) have difficulty with their speech. When the muscles used for producing speech are affected, it leads to a condition called dysarthria. Dysarthia in children with CP can lead to problems with speech intelligibility. Many people choose to use their speech as a primary method for communication, even though there are assistive technologies or augmentative / alternative communication (AAC) systems that are available.

The SPEAK study is designed as a hybrid communication intervention that uses both natural speech and elements of AAC to support communication. Specifically, we are looking to see if using a communication tablet or an alphabet board (sometimes called ‘speech supplementation strategies’) while talking helps make speech more understandable to listeners. 

Goals

The SPEAK study will examine the impact of speech supplementation strategies to:

  • Determine if using speech supplementation (pointing to letters or pictures on a communication board while talking) make speech more understandable
  • Determine whether listeners can hear changes in speech when people use speech supplementation strategies.

Participants

We are seeking children and youth (ages 7–17 years) who:

  • Have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy or another motor impairment.
  • Experience speech limitations (ranging from very mild to severe), such as:
    • Speech that is hard to understand
    • Slurred speech
    • A very soft voice
  • Are able to point to letters or pictures

 

 

What does the study involve?

  • A brief parent interview and completion of forms to determine eligibility.
  • One or two in-person visits to the Waisman Center. At the visit, children will:
    • Learn and practice using a speech supplementation strategy with a speech-language pathologist
    • Participate in speaking and language assessments and activities
    • Complete a hearing screening
    • Parents will complete questionnaires to help us better understand their child’s communication
  • Total participation time is approximately 2-4 hours
  • Honorarium will be provided

(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions

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Children and teens (ages 7-17) 

  • Diagnosed with cerebral palsy or another motor impairment 
  • Experience speech limitations (very mild to severe) such as:  
    • Speech that is hard to understand by some or all partners
    • Slurred speech that may sound distorted
    • Very soft voice that may be hard to hear at times
    • Slow rate of speech.
  • Able to point to letters or pictures 
  • AAC users are welcome, but AAC use is not required.
  • Not sure if your child meets these criteria? Contact us.

  • We welcome people with very severe speech impairment and the full range of speaking ability profiles all the way to very mild impairment. It is important that participants be able to say (or try to say) sentences that are 5-words long. Speech does not need to be understandable.

We are interested in people with a FULL range of speaking abilities. This means that we are interested in ALL of the following types of people:

  • People who have good speech that others can understand most all of the time, but it might sound a little slurred or distorted.

  • People who have a mild speech impairment that makes it difficult for some partners to understand speech some of the time. These people are able to talk in lengthy sentences. Speech might sound a little different than same age friends and is harder to understand, especially in noisy environments like the cafeteria or the mall. For these people, speech might sound softer, and slower with some slurring or distortion.

  • People who have moderate speech impairment that makes it difficult for many communication partners to understand speech a lot of the time. These people can talk in sentences, but they might need to take frequent breaths when talking. Speech might sound noticeably different than same age friends and is often hard to understand, regardless of the environment. For these people, speech will be noticeably slower, words might be reduced to be less complex (for example words with multiple syllables might be produced with only one syllable), the voice might be soft, and there may be slurring.

  • People who have severe speech impairment that makes it difficult for most all communication partners to understand speech most of the time. These people may be able to talk in sentences, which are very difficult to understand without someone to interpret the message or without the use of AAC systems and strategies. Some very familiar partners might be able to understand and interpret for the person, but independent communication can be very challenging without some type of support.

If you are not sure whether your child or teen would qualify, contact us!

Enrollment Link

You can also contact the study team directly:

📧 speak@waisman.wisc.edu

📞 (608) 263-5822

Visits to the Waisman Center will take about 2-4 hours total.

Some people may opt to spread this across two in-person visits.

Yes! You will be paid $100 for completing the study; your child will receive a small gift. If you come from more than 30 miles away, we will provide extra compensation for your travel. We can provide an overnight stay for those traveling to Madison from more than 30 miles away.

The results of this study will be published in scientific journals and will be presented at professional meetings. Names will not be associated with the data that is published from this study. This study is protected by a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National institutes of Health.

Researchers

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