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PaTaKa Speech Test
Availability
The instrument is freely available here: Click here for PaTaKa Speech Test website.
Classification
Supplemental
Short Description of Instrument
The 'PA (puh) TA (tuh) Ka (kuh)' speech test assesses speech speed. Repetitions of 'PA-TA' in a ten second interval using a tape recorder are used to examine speech.
Diagnostically, repetition of syllables, prolonged vowels, classification of changes in intonation and rate of speech are traditionally used for characterization of ataxia speech. Patient-related dysfunction may be more closely related to communicative ability and better measured by tests of intelligibility.
Strengths: This instrument may provide feasible, inexpensive, quantitative testing for therapeutic monitoring in FA.
Weaknesses: There may not be a sufficiently wide range of scores for use in a study of speech in FA; however the range of scores in patients with FA is relatively limited until late in the disease. Multilingual patient groups could be problematic for an international study with multi-centre settings.
Scoring
Scoring is based on the number of times 'PA (puh) TA (tuh) Ka (kuh)' is clearly repeated within an interval of time.
References
Lynch DR, Farmer JM, Tsou AY, Perlman S, Subramony SH, Gomez CM, Ashizawa T, Wilmot GR, Wilson RB, Balcer LJ. Measuring Friedreich ataxia:  complementary features of examination and performance measures. Neurology. 2006;66:1711-16.
 
Du Montcel ST, Charles P, Ribai P, Goizet C, LeBayon A, Labauge P, Guyant Marechal L, Forlani S, Jauffret C, Vandenberghe N, N'Guyen K, Le Ber I, Devos D, Vincitorio C-M, Manto M-U, Tison F, Hannequin D, Ruberg M, Brice A, Durr A. Composite cerebellar functional severity score: validation of a quantitative score of cerebellar impairment. Brain. 2008;131(5):1352-61.
 
Singh A, Epstein E, Myers LM, Farmer JM, Lynch DR. Clinical measures of dysarthria in Friedreich ataxia. Mov Disord. 2010;25(1):108-21.

 

Document last updated April 2020