Dysarthria

WHAT IS DYSARTHRIA?

Dysarthria is a speech disorder resulting from neurological injury. It can cause an inability or difficulty in articulating words caused by impairment of the muscles used in speech. It is due to a disorder in the nervous system which in turn hinders control over, for example, tongue, throat, lips or lungs. The result may be distorted, substituted or omitted sounds. There are many reasons behind Dysarthria; Cerebral Palsy, Cranial Nerve Lesions, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Cerebellar Ataxia.

HOW IS DYSARTHRIA DIAGNOSED?

Dysarthria is diagnosed when a person has problems with making speech sounds because of muscle paralysis, muscle weakness or poor co-ordination which results from a neurological impairment. A Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) can evaluate a person with speech difficulties to determine the nature and the severity of the problem. The therapist will look at the movement of the tongue, lips and face as well as breath support for speech and voice quality.

SYMPTOMS OF DYSARTHRIA

The symptoms experienced with Dysarthria depend on the extent and location of the damage to the nervous system. A person with Dysarthria will experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Abnormal rhythm when speaking
• Breathiness
• Changes in vocal quality, for example ‘nasal’ speech, or sounding ‘stuffy’
• Chewing and swallowing difficulty
• Drooling or poor control of saliva
• Hoarseness
• Limited tongue, lip and jaw movement
• Rapid rate of speech with a “mumbling” quality
• Slow rate of speech
• Slurred speech
• Speaking softly or barely able to whisper

TREATMENT OF DYSARTHRIA

Where possible, treatment of Dysarthria is directed at the underlying cause. Speech and Language therapy can sometimes help people with Dysarthria to regain near normal speech. There are many goals for the treatment of Dysarthria, including:

• Improving articulation so that speech is more clear
• Improving breath support so that the person can speak more loudly
• In severe cases, learning to use alternative means of communication, for example, simple gestures or alphabet boards.
• Increasing mouth, tongue and lip movements.
• Slowing the rate of speech
• Strengthening muscles
• Teaching carers and family members some strategies to communicate better with the person with Dysarthria

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