The Implication of Huntington Disease on Individuals from Speech, Language and Swallowing Perspectives in Saudi Arabia

Adil Alshammary

Published on: 2019-03-30

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) has been described as a genetic disorder that affects speech, language and swallowing aspects. Depending on the level of the disease, individuals with HD may present difficulties in speech, language and swallowing. The purpose of this article is to present these difficulties as well as their baseline treatment plan. It is emphasised that, in speech aspect, there are signs of hyperkinetic dysarthria due to non-controlled choreic movements. In language, individuals with HD create shorter and simpler statements; moreover, they may show difficulties in tasks that require complex cognitive processing. Effective speech-language intervention is fundamental to improve the quality of life of people and contribute to their communicative wellbeing.