International Journal of Speech and Audiology

Speech intelligibility plays a significant role in the effectiveness of overall communication. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, it is helpful to consider how a person is understood by a variety of different people. Various therapeutic interventions have been used to enhance speech and language outcomes, including performing art therapy, such as vocal music and instrumental music. This study compares the effectiveness of vocal music and instrumental music interventions in improving speech intelligibility among intellectually disabled adults.

The participants were divided into two groups based on the type of intervention: those who attended vocal music sessions and those who attended instrumental music sessions. Speech intelligibility was assessed using the Malayalam Articulation Test (MAT). It is a standardised tool for evaluating the articulation of Malayalam speech sounds. The assessment was conducted at two time points—prior to the intervention and after two years of regular participation in the respective sessions.

The intervention was structured to encourage rhythm, vocal expression, motor coordination (fine and Gross motor), pitch and tone, and interactive participation, based on the hypothesis that this may improve speech production and communication skills. Pre-and post-test scores obtained through MAT were analysed to determine changes in articulation and overall speech intelligibility in both groups. The study found the effectiveness of the intervention and helped compare which art-based intervention was more effective for enhancing speech outcomes.

Results showed that many of the students of the vocal music group had higher pre-MAT scores, mostly above 85. In the musical instruments group most of the participants had a baseline of less than 28. The study indicates that both music-based interventions (vocal, instrumental) showed improved speech intelligibility as measured by the MAT. Participants belonging to the vocal music group had the highest MAT score suggesting that vocal music is more effective at improving articulation. The instrumental music also helped the participants with significant improvement.