Adult normative values for the PATA Rate Test

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Current neurological evaluations for dysarthria lack quantitative measures.
• Dysarthria assessment relies on qualitative approaches, limiting objective severity ratings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the PATA Rate Task (PRT) for quantitative dysarthria assessment.
• To establish normative values for the PRT in a healthy population.

Main Methods:

• Participants repeated "PA-TA" syllables rapidly over 10 seconds.
• The score was the count of correctly repeated syllable pairs.
• 232 healthy controls were enrolled.

Main Results:

• The PRT demonstrated strong inter-rater (R=0.783), test-retest (R=0.927), and intra-rater (R=0.888) reliability.
• Mean PRT score was 28.84 ± 6.6 (range 14-52).
• Older age correlated with lower PRT scores (R=-0.368).

Conclusions:

• The PATA Rate Task is a reliable tool for quantifying dysarthria.
• The PRT can be readily integrated into neurological assessments, particularly for movement disorders requiring speech evaluation.