Dysarthria
What Is Dysarthria?
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder characterised by difficulty in controlling or coordinating the muscles used for speech production.
What causes Dysarthria?
Dysarthria is typically caused by damage or dysfunction to the parts of the nervous system that control the muscles involved in speech, including the tongue, lips, vocal folds, and jaw. This damage can result from various conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury or neurological diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis).
Types of Dysarthria
There are several different types of dysarthria, each associated with specific patterns of speech impairment based on the underlying neurological damage. These types include:
Characterised by stiffness and reduced range of motion in the muscles, resulting in slow, effortful speech with strained voice quality.
Caused by weakness or paralysis of the muscles, leading to breathy, weak speech with reduced loudness and imprecise articulation.
Associated with damage to the cerebellum, resulting in incoordination and irregularities in speech rhythm and timing.
Common in Parkinson’s disease, characterised by reduced movement and rigidity of the muscles, leading to monotone, rapid speech with reduced articulatory precision.
Characterised by involuntary movements (e.g., tremors, dystonia) that disrupt speech production, resulting in variable speech quality and rate.
Understanding the Impact
Dysarthria, a motor speech disorder, impacts speech clarity, communication effectiveness, social relationships, daily activities, and emotional well-being. It poses challenges in employment, education, and safety, leading to fatigue and strain.
Types of Treatment
Treatment for dysarthria typically involves speech therapy aimed at improving speech intelligibility, clarity, and functional communication.
Here are some common approaches to treatment:
Dysarthria often involves weakness or inefficiency in the respiratory muscles, affecting breath support for speech. Respiratory training exercises help individuals improve breath control, support, and coordination, leading to stronger and more controlled speech production.
Therapy may include specific exercises targeting the articulators (e.g., lips, tongue, jaw) to improve clarity and precision of speech sounds. These exercises help individuals strengthen and coordinate the muscles involved in speech production.
In some cases where speech is severely impaired, AAC devices or strategies may be used to supplement or replace verbal communication. These may include communication boards or speech-generating devices.
Adjustments to the communication environment can help support individuals with dysarthria. This may involve reducing background noise, ensuring good lighting, using visual aids, and promoting conversational turn-taking.
Speech Therapists teach individuals with dysarthria compensatory strategies to enhance communication effectiveness. These strategies may include speaking slowly, exaggerating speech movements, using gestures or facial expressions, and simplifying language.
Education and training for family members and caregivers are essential to support communication at home. SLPs provide guidance on how to facilitate communication, use strategies effectively, and create a supportive communication environment.
How Speech Therapy Can Help?
Speech therapy helps dysarthria patients improve their speech clarity, communication effectiveness, and overall quality of life, enabling them to participate more fully in social, academic, and vocational activities.
