Changes in aesthetic appearance and intelligibility of speech after partial glossectomy in patients with Down syndrome

Eight patients with Down syndrome, aged 9 years and 10 months to 25 years and 4 months, underwent partial glossectomy. Preoperative and postoperative videotaped samples of spoken words and connected speech were randomized and rated by two groups of listeners, only one of which knew of the surgery. Aesthetic appearance of speech or visual acceptability of the patient while speaking was judged from visual information only. Judgments of speech intelligibility were made from the auditory portion of the videotapes. Acceptability and intelligibility also were judged together during audiovisual presentation. Statistical analysis revealed that speech was significantly more acceptable aesthetically after surgery. No significant difference was found in speech intelligibility preoperatively and postoperatively. Ratings did not differ significantly depending on whether the rater knew of the surgery. Analysis of results obtained in various presentation modes revealed that the aesthetics of speech did not significantly affect judgment of intelligibility. Conversely, speech acceptability was greater in the presence of higher levels of intelligibility.