Better Conversations with Dysarthria Research

Dysarthria describes a group of motor speech disorders which impact on people’s intelligibility.

What is the problem?

A dysarthria is caused by neurological damage typically arising from an underlying process such as cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease etc. People living with dysarthria can experience a wide range of difficulties participating in conversations. These difficulties extend to  friends, family members and health and social care professionals (all of whom are communication partners). Dysarthria-in-conversation is therefore a shared experienced.

Work being undertaken in the Better Conversations with Dysarthria (BCD) programme of research aims to:

  • understand the communication difficulties experienced by people with dysarthria (including those who use augmentative and alternative communication systems), and their communication partners
  • co-produce communication partner training and resources to meet the needs of people living with Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease and their communication partners
  • explore a range of options for accessing Better Conversations with Parkinson’s (BCP), both face to face and remote via telehealth
  • evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of delivering BCD in an NHS setting

What do we know already?

We know that people with dysarthria and their family members experience reduced quality of life as a result of their communication difficulties but also that they can adapt their communication in a number of ways. Early evidence shows that a BC informed approach can positively impact on how people communicate (Bloch and Beeke, 2022). People with Parkinson’s and their family members worked with us to co-produce BCP in line with the Medical Research Council guidance on developing complex interventions. Initial pilot-feasibility work is in progress to show whether an online BCP programme is an acceptable intervention for people with Parkinson’s (Clay et al 2023).

Current Projects

Parkinson’s UK funded work is currently underway to show whether an online BCP programme is an acceptable intervention for people with Parkinson’s (Clay et al 2023). We are also working with people with Parkinson’s to understand how best to measure the outcomes from BCP and what the dosage and schedule of the intervention might look like on a care pathway. We are also currently in discussion with the MNDA to develop a new online Better Conversations with MND (BCMND) resource for people living with motor neurone disease. This practical resource will show how people living with MND can manage conversations when they are challenged by speech change and AAC use.

Social Media Outputs

Key Publications

Clay P, Beeke S, Volkmer A, Dangerfield L, Bloch S. (2023) A Communication Partner Training Program Delivered via Telehealth for People Living With Parkinson's (Better Conversations With Parkinson's): Protocol for a Feasibility Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 3;12:e41416. doi: 10.2196/41416. PMID: 36735301; PMCID: PMC9938441

Bloch, S. and Beeke S. (2022) A Better Conversations approach for people living with dysarthria, in Walshe, M. and Miller, N. (eds) Clinical Cases in Acquired Dysarthria, pp. 117-127.  Routledge 

Bloch, S. & Barnes, S. (2020) Dysarthria and other-initiated repair in everyday conversation. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 34 (10-11) 977-997 doi: 10.1080/02699206.2019.1705915

Bloch, S. (2013) Conversation and interaction in degenerative diseases. In Yorkston, K. M., Miller, R. M., Strand, E. A. (Eds.). Management of speech and swallowing in degenerative diseases (Third ed. pp.195-220). Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.