FARA Award

Speech treatment in Friedreich ataxia

16/11/2017 to 15/11/2020

Disordered speech is a devastating and inevitable consequence of many hereditary ataxias, particularly in Friedreich ataxia (FRDA).Here we test the effectiveness of a home-based, intensive four-week speech exercise program designed to improve speech in people with FRDA, aiming to establish the world-first evidence-based speech therapy for FRDA. Specifically, our aim is to evaluate the hypothesis that intensive speech rehabilitation using biofeedback will lead to improved speech intelligibility (i.e., ability to be understood) in FRDA compared to existing care. If this hypothesis is supported, our research will change the landscape of clinical care for FRDA globally by influencing health policy and improving patient outcomes in this disease group and likely also other degenerative ataxias.