Open AccessProfile of Communication Disorders in HIV-Infected Individuals: A Preliminary Study
Author(s) -
Mili Mathew,
Jayashree S. Bhat
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of the international association of physicians in aids care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1557-0886
pISSN - 1545-1097
DOI - 10.1177/1545109708320682
Subject(s) - dysarthria , medicine , swallowing , fluency , aphasia , audiology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , sustenance , test (biology) , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , family medicine , paleontology , mathematics education , dentistry , biology , political science , law
Communication is the very essence of life for humans. This is made possible by the highly complex neurophysiological mechanisms governing humans. Any disturbance to this system can result in impairments of communication. HIV infection is one such disease. In India, the management of such individuals is usually restricted to life sustenance. Little importance is given to their communication problems, which play a vital role in day-to-day functioning. It is with this background that this study was conducted. Eight HIV-infected individuals participated in the study. They were subjected to assessment procedures that included the following tests: Western Aphasia Battery, Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, Standard Articulation test, Fluency test, and subjective assessment of vocal parameters by a speech language pathologist. The results of the study reveal that individuals with HIV-1 infection show a varied picture of affected parameters of voice, swallowing, and oral motor functioning