The Comparison of Two Teaching Methods for Differentially Diagnosing the Dysarthrias

The purpose of this study was to gauge the effectiveness of a specific teaching method (The Acoustic Pattern Index) in teaching accurate differential diagnosis of dysarthria, as compared to a more traditional way of teaching about the dysarthrias. Two groups of subjects participated in the study. Each group diagnosed ten taped samples of dysarthric patients .after listening to a lecture-slide presentation about one of the teaching methods. The results indicated that the teaching methods are equal for determining accurate differential diagnosis of dysarthria. Several .possible reasons as to why the methods appear equal are discussed, as well as possible suggestions for the future- research on improving the manner of presentation for The Acoustic Pattern Index