Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

A Protocol for Comprehensive Assessment of Bulbar Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Published on: February 21, 2011
Speech fluency variation in elderly
Claudia Regina Furquim de Andrade1, Vanessa de Oliveira Martins
1Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. clauan@usp.br
Background:
a number of changes in the speech of normally aging adults have been described in the literature. However age-related changes in fluency have received little attention.
Aim:
to verify the Fluency Profile of elderly regarding all of the different fluency parameters.
Method:
participants were 128 elderly, of both genders, aged above 60 years. Speech samples of all participants were gathered. They were analyzed according to: type of speech disruption; speech rate and frequency of speech disruptions, based on the analyses of 200 fluent syllables. Participants were compared between themselves regarding the decades of life. Individuals with ages above 80 years constituted a single group.
Results:
statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the decades only for syllables per minute. For the group of individuals with ages above 80 years, statistical significance was observed indicating an increase in the number of speech disruptions and a decrease in speech rate.
Conclusion:
regarding the fluency parameters analyzed in this study, the effect of aging seems to be more expressive after the age of 80 years.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Language and Cognition

