Dysarthria

After a stroke or other brain injury, the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all. The resulting speech condition is called dysarthria. The type and severity of dysarthria depends on which area of the nervous system is affected.
 

Symptoms

A person with dysarthria may experience any of the following symptoms, depending on the extent and location of damage to the nervous system:

• "slurred" speech
• speaking softly or barely able to whisper
• slow rate of speech
• rapid rate of speech with a "mumbling" quality
• limited tongue, lip, and jaw movement
• abnormal intonation (rhythm) when speaking
• changes in vocal quality ("nasal" speech or sounding "stuffy")
• hoarseness
• breathiness
• drooling or poor control of saliva
• chewing and swallowing difficulty Causes of Dysarthria

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Dysarthria is caused by many different conditions that involve the nervous system, including:

• Stroke
• Brain Injury
• Tumors
• Cerebral Palsy
• Parkinson's disease
• Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS)
• Huntington's disease
• Multiple Sclerosis

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Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause, type, and severity of the symptoms. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) works with the individual to improve communication abilities. Goals may include slowing the rate of speech, improving breath support so the person can speak more loudly, muscle strengthening exercises, increasing mouth, tongue, and lip movement, or improving articulation so that speech is more clear. The SLP can also help the person's caregivers or family learn to adapt the environment so that they can understand the person better and can teach compensatory strategies that will enhance communication. In cases of severe dysarthria, it may be impossible for the person to speak intelligibly and an alternative means of communication may be needed. These range from using simple gestures or alphabet boards to more sophisticated electronic or computer-based equipment. If chewing and swallowing problems exist, the SLP can address these areas, as well.

Tips for the Person With Dysarthria

• Introduce your topic with a single word or short phrase before beginning to speak in more complete sentences
• Speak slowly and loudly; pause frequently
• Check with the listeners to make sure that they understand you
• Try to limit conversations when you feel tired, as your speech will be more difficult to understand
• If you become frustrated, try to use other methods, such as pointing or gesturing, to get your message across, or take a rest and try again later

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Tips for the Listener

• Control the communication environment by reducing distractions
• Pay attention to the speaker and watch them as they talk
• Be honest and let the speaker know when you have difficulty understanding them
• Repeat the part of the message that you understood so that the speaker does not have to repeat the entire message
• If you are unable to understand the message after repeated attempts, ask yes/no questions or have the speaker write their message to you

Adapted from text developed in 2001 by Kathryn Yorkston, PhD, CCC-SLP