Hypertranscribe language3/10/2023 ![]() More specifically, motor impairments associated with HD may affect respiration, phonation, timing and articulation (Hartelius et al. Memory and attention problems, reduced processing speed and loss of cognitive efficiency are known to cause subtle changes in speech and communication already in the early stages of HD (Hamilton et al. Speech production also requires cooperation between the nervous system and approximately 100 different muscles (Godefroy 2013).Īny of the degenerative changes associated with HD will gradually interfere with speech and language skills, and affect basic processes involved in communication and social exchange (Hamilton et al. Language and speech are complex processes, and motor, cognitive and emotional function will, independently and in interaction, influence the ability to communicate. 2016), including not only the striatum but also the cerebral neo- and allocortex, thalamus, pallidum, brainstem and cerebellum (Rüb et al. HD is currently described as a multisystem neurodegenerative disease, characterized by a progressive atrophy and thinning of the cortical mantles in all four cerebral lobes (Rüb et al. More specifically, HD is characterized by a triad of symptoms, including motor symptoms, such as involuntary movements and impairment of voluntary movements, cognitive deterioration and psychiatric and/or psychological symptoms, such as irritability, depression, anxiety and apathy (McColgan and Tabrizi 2018). Symptom onset usually occurs between the third and fifth decade of life, affecting physical, psychological and cognitive functioning, and death within 15–30 years (Novak and Tabrizi 2011). The occurrence of HD is 5–14 persons per 100,000 (Baig et al. Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative brain disease with a 50% risk of genetic transmission (Roos 2010). Future research that explores how to optimize communication and implement the use of AACs for individuals with HD is needed. The dramatic impact of HD on patients’ communication skills underscores the need to include SLTs in the follow-up of this patient group, ideally from the early stages of the disease, while the patient is still capable of voicing his/her own wishes and thoughts. Conclusions & Implicationsįindings shed a light on everyday communication challenges faced by people with HD and their professional caregivers, and the lack of implementation of communication aids in this group. Professional caregivers underlined the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations, including SLTs, in order to optimize care. Very few patients had received information about communication aids, and none was using AACs. Both groups talked about external factors (such as noise or crowded social settings) as disrupting communication, and shared recommendations on how people in general, and speech and language therapists (SLTs) in particular, could optimize communication. This was confirmed by professional caregivers, who also raised ethical issues encountered when patients struggled with communication. Most individuals with HD were aware of having communication difficulties, struggling with understanding others as well as being understood. Transcripts were analysed using a conventional content analysis, and the results presented in three main categories. Seven individuals with HD and seven professional caregivers were interviewed individually, using a semi-structured interview guide. Experiences with speech therapy and the use of augmentative and alternative communication aids (AAC) were also investigated. To examine communication-related experiences of patients and professional caregivers. Few studies have investigated how people affected by HD and their professional caregivers, for example, medical doctors, physiotherapists and nurses, experience the patients’ gradual loss of speech and language. ![]() Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of motor, cognitive and psychological symptoms, leading to a gradual breakdown of communication skills.
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