ABSTRACT
Diadochokinesis is the ability to perform fast, repeated and alternate movements. Diadochokinesis tests can assess both speech and upper extremities. The primary objective was to present an interdisciplinary diadochokinesis assessment protocol. The secondary objectives were to compare the performance with different phonemes of the oral diadochokinesis test (/papapa/, /tatata/, /kakaka/ and /pataka/); to compare the performance with different conditions of the upper extremities diadochokinesis test (conducted with both upper extremities in a mirrored manner, only with the right upper extremity, only with the left upper extremity, with both upper extremities in an alternately manner); and to investigate possible relationships between oral and upper extremities diadochokinesis. A total of fifteen healthy adults/seniors from 40 to 70 years old participated. Data were represented by descriptive statistics. The syllable numbers in /papapa/, /tatata/, /kakaka/ and /pataka/ conditions and the numbers of movements in mirrored, right, left and alternated conditions were compared by ANOVA and correlated by Pearson test. There was no significant difference in results between the phonemes of oral diadochokinesis test (p<0.001). There was difference between the conditions assessed in the upper extremities diadochokinesis test (p<0.001). The number of repeated phonemes was correlated with the alternate performance of upper extremities. We concluded that the correlation between scores of oral and upper extremities diadochokinesis tests can be explained by the fact that motor and language programs are predominantly represented in the left hemisphere. Common/connected brain areas or motor programs in common can guide these tasks.
Keywords
|Disability Evaluation; Motor Skills; Psychomotor Performance
