• Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.91-102
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• 1998

The present study attempted to modify the conventional Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) in three aspects: number of syllables of adjacent target utterances (ATU), melody patterns of ATU, and initial listening of melody and intoned speech with the eyes closed. The modified Melodic Intonation Therapy (MMIT) was applied to two severe Korean aphasics. The patients exhibited a severely nonfluent aphasia resulting from a left CVA(Cerebrovascular Accident). The purpose of the modification was to avoid perseveration and improve reflective listening skills. First, the treatment program avoided ATU with the same number of syllables. Second, four different patterns of melody were developed: rising type, falling type, V-type, and inverted V-type. One type of prosodic pattern was preceded and followed by another type of melody. These two variations were to decrease perseverative behaviors. Finally, the patients kept their eyes closed when the clinician played and hummed a target melody at the initial stage of the program in order to improve reflective listening skills. A single-subject alternating treatment design was used. The effects of MMIT were compared to the conventional MIT. Differing the number of syllables and the type of melodic patterns decreased perseverative behaviors and produced more correct names. The initial listening of the target melody with the patients' eyes closed seemed to increase their attentiveness and result in a more fluent production of target utterances. Probable reasons for the effectiveness of MMIT were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 2005

Melody intonation therepy (MIT) is to improve the linguistic aspects of the verbal utterance for aphasic patients utilizing the intact right brain. It is applied to the aphasic patients with good comprehension, poor fluency, and little available speech are thought to be ideal candidates. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of Korean Melody intonation therapy (kMIT) in patients with non-fluent aphasia. Five male non-fluent aphasic patients were participated in this study. Average ages were 49.9 years old. Each therapy took 45-50minutes once a week for six months. Aphasic Screen lest (RISS) was used to assess language parameter such as Auditory comprehension, oral expression, reading, writing and calculation ability before and after kMIT. Mean of Length Utterance, verbal intelligibility and articulation disorder were assessed also. Computerized Speech Lab was used to assess the acoustic characteristics of aphasic patients before and after kMIT. The results are as follows : 1) Auditory comprehension, oral expression, reading, writing and calculation ability of the subjects increased after UH'. However, only oral expression showed significant difference (p<0.05). 2) Mean of Length Utterance of five patients generally increased after Un. 3) After kMIT, verbal intelligibility increased and showed significant difference (p<0.05). 4) Misarticulation rate generally decreased after m. 5) Voice Onset Time of the alveolar lenis /t/ and velar lenis /k/ gradually decreased after kMIT. 6) However, intonation pattern were increased gradually in yes'no question after kMIT.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.57-67
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• 2005

Most of stroke patients have not only physical difficulty but speech and neurological disorder because of hemiplegia and such unexpected changes cause psychologic disadaptability and absent-mindedness. Particularly, lowering of physical ability can lead to serious emotional problem from failure or frustration in daily life. Generally, treatment of patient with stroke put emphasis on physical rehabilitation but actually this patient had considerable speech disorder such as aphasia or articulation disorder. Moreover, failing of recognition function, mental disorder as hypochondria, and even visual and auditory disorder are represented. So it is effective to integrate verbal remediation and other treatments in medical care environment. In particular, patients with language disorder very often wither psychologically therefore it is efficient to use of music therapy that gives opulent emotion to aphasia patients. And primarily to investigate the effects of 10 sessions treatments; change in spoken total number of syllables, to confirm their own value by success of given task and reassure about themselves ability. All of 10 sessions stages were scored by MIT manual and its improvement were measured, that is, accomplishment was analyzed within each level in order to prove detail change of spoken total number of syllables. The result of this program organized from 2 syllables to 4 syllables is summarized as follows. Subject A completed in preliminary stage Level I, in 2 syllables case advanced to Level III in fifth session and to Level IV in seventh session, in 3 syllables case advanced to Level III in seventh session and to Level IV in ninth session, and in 4 syllables case showed 8% low success rate in first session but after repeated practice increased considerably in sixth session and in advanced to Level III in eighth session to Level IV in tenth session. Subject B also completed in preliminary stage Level I, in 2 syllables case advanced to Level III in forth session and to Level IV in sixth session, in 3 syllables case advanced to Level III in fifth session and to Level IV in seventh session, and in 4 syllables case showed 10% low success rate in first session and increased considerably in fifth session and in advanced to Level III in seventh session but could not reach to Level IV until tenth session. As a result, it was shown that music therapy using MIT was not statistically meaningful but improved spoken total number of syllables and success rate of task had improved as a whole. Therefore, music intervention using MIT it has positive affect on verbal ability of patients with Broca's Aphasia and their language rehabilitation.