Browsing by Author "Putkinen, Silja"

Background: Aphasia is a disturbance in the language function in someone who has suffered a stroke. An interesting observation is that some aphasic patients can utter words singing, even when they have lost the ability to speak. Music- and singing-based aphasia rehabilitations have been used, as addition to traditional speech therapy, for decades, and are a subject of acitve research. The aim of the present questionnaire study was to explore subjective speech and singing abilities and their connections in post-stroke aphasia. Methods: 49 aphasia patients answered questionnaires regarding subjective vocal control when speaking and singing, and their communication and singing abilities in everyday life. The participants were divided into mild (N=21) and severe (N=28) aphasics groups. We investigated if there were differences between subjective vocal control speaking and singing or between aphasia groups, and if vocal control was associated with everyday communication or singing ability. Results: There was a difference between subjective speaking and singing abilities, aphasia severity did affect subjective singing ability but not speaking ability, a better subjective vocal control singing was associated with a better singing ability. A better quality and more frequent communication in everyday life was associated with better singing ability. Conclusion: Singing was perceived as less effortful and unclear than speaking and especially severe aphasics felt better singing than speaking. These results support the idea that singing therapies could be helpful for aphasics.