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
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
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

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

© ©1997-2003 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association