Prosody refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech that conveys emotion, sentence modality, and pragmatic nuance. Atypical prosody may be present in various populations including individuals with autism, apraxia, and right hemisphere damage. SLPs assess prosody through perceptual analysis and acoustic measurements to evaluate intonation, pitch range, and stress patterns. Intervention may include contrastive stress drills, imitation tasks, and use of visual pitch feedback. Enhancing prosody promotes naturalistic and socially effective communication.
McCann, J., and Peppe, S. "Prosody in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Critical Review." International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 38, no. 4 (2003).
Shriberg, L. D., et al. "Speech and Prosody Characteristics of Adolescents and Adults with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 44, no. 5 (2001).
