Motor-Speech Performance in Very Old Speakers: Associations With Physio-Anatomical and Cognitive-Linguistic Factors.

Hearing status was based on self-report rather than objective screening, which may have affected the reliability of hearing as a predictor. The study did not include non-speech oral function tests, limiting the ability to distinguish between oral motor and speech-specific deficits. The sample was restricted to Finnish speakers, so results may not generalize to other languages or cultural contexts. The study did not compare these very old speakers to a clinical group with neurological disorders, so the specificity of the findings for diagnosis is not established. The age range was narrow (80-100), which may have limited the detection of age effects on some tasks, as significant slowing may occur earlier in life.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not assume that slower speech rates in very old clients automatically indicate neurological decline. Factors such as wearing dentures and higher educational level were associated with slower performance on rapid repetition tasks, suggesting that mechanical and behavioral factors significantly influence motor-speech tempo in this population.