Pacing Board

For adults with dysarthria

In some forms of dysarthria, particularly hypo-kinetic dysarthria, a client's speech rate can increase. This rapid speech rate often causes low intelligibility. Previous research shows that pacing boards can lead to significantly increased intelligibility for patients with a rapid speech rate (Nuffelen, 2010).

Ideal Candidates

patients with rapid speech rate
patients with hypo-kinetic dysarthria
patients with Unilateral Upper Motor Neuron Dysarthria
patients with Ataxic Dysarthria

Example Goal

Patty will participate in a 3-5 minute conversation with a familiar listener using an appropriate speech rate by utilizing any form of a pacing board at 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions with minimal (0-3) verbal cues as recorded by clinician and family data.

Pacing Board Activity

The clinician/ family member will begin the conversation with one verbal prompt reminding the client to use their pacing board throughout the conversation.

The clinician/ family member starts a timer and participates in a 5 minute conversation with the client.

The clinician will record when and how often the client's rate increases.

Over time, as less prompts are needed, the pacing board can begin to be scaffolded away.

Materials Needed

Any form of a pacing board will work for this activity. Pacing boards are available in a traditional format like the one pictured above as well as on high tech devices through apps or printed onto a piece of paper.

Data Tracking Sheet Example

A data sheet can be designed by breaking up the times of the conversation in order to record how often and at what time the client has an appropriate speech rate, when their rate increases and when they need prompting. An example is shown on the first data table.

References

Helm, N. A. (1979). Management of palilalia with a pacing board. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 44(3), 350–353. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshd.4403.350

Roth, Froma P., and Colleen K. Worthington. Treatment Resource Manual for Speech-Language Pathology. Plural Publishing Inc., 2021.

Van Nuffelen, G., De Bodt, M., Vanderwegen, J., Van de Heyning, P., & Wuyts, F. (2010). Effect of rate control on speech production and intelligibility in dysarthria. Folia Phoniatrica Et Logopaedica, 62(3), 110–119. https://doi.org/10.1159/000287209

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