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1/27 people develop it.

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Jamie O'Brien

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Local Support Groups

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Directory of mailing lists, discussion groups and support forums for children with disabilities or special needs. Up to date and annotated.

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Tom Flaherty's tips...
1. go to a speech therapist
2. gain your confidence
3. be patient with yourself
4. share your stories

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How to communicate with someone who has dysarthria...

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How to communicate with someone who has dysarthria...

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Speak slower
Write things down
use simple words/ sentences

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Have "slurred" or "mumbled" speech that can be hard to understand.

Speak slowly.

Talk too fast.

Speak softly.

Not be able to move your tongue, lips, and jaw very well.

Sound robotic or choppy.

Have changes in your voice. You may sound hoarse or breathy. Or, you may sound like you have a stuffy nose or are talking out of your nose.

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Dysarthria is the difficulty or unclear articulation of speech that is otherwise linguistically normal.

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1. Stroke
2. Injury to the brain
3. Parkinson's disease
4.Tumors
5. Cerebral palsy
6. multiple sclerosis
7. huntington's disease
8. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS

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1. Slow/ Slurred speech
2. Raspy, nasal, or strained voice
3. Rapid Speech that is difficult to understand
4. Uneven speech volume
5. Monotone speech
6. Inability to speak louder than a whisper or speaking too loudly

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Slowing down your speech.

Using more breath to speak louder.

Making your mouth muscles stronger.

Moving your lips and tongue more.

Practicing saying sounds clearly in words and sentences.

Using other ways to communicate, including hand gestures, writing, or using computers.

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https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/dysarthria/

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Citations

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Overview

Dysarthria occurs when the muscles you use for speech are weak or you have difficulty controlling them. Dysarthria often causes slurred or slow speech that can be difficult to understand.

Common causes of dysarthria include nervous system disorders and conditions that cause facial paralysis or tongue or throat muscle weakness. Certain medications also can cause dysarthria.

Treating the underlying cause of your dysarthria may improve your speech. You may also need speech therapy. For dysarthria caused by prescription medications, changing or discontinuing the medications may help.

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Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of dysarthria vary, depending on the underlying cause and the type of dysarthria. They may include:

Slurred speech

Slow speech

Inability to speak louder than a whisper or speaking too loudly

Rapid speech that is difficult to understand

Nasal, raspy or strained voice

Uneven or abnormal speech rhythm

Uneven speech volume

Monotone speech

Difficulty moving your tongue or facial muscles

When to see a doctor

Dysarthria can be a sign of a serious condition. See your doctor if you have sudden or unexplained changes in your ability to speak.

Causes

In dysarthria, you may have difficulty moving the muscles in your mouth, face or upper respiratory system that control speech. Conditions that may lead to dysarthria include:

1. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease)

2. Brain injury

3. Brain tumor

4. Cerebral palsy

5. Guillain-Barre syndrome

6. Head injury

7. Huntington's disease

8. Lyme disease

9. Multiple sclerosis

10. Muscular dystrophy

11. Myasthenia gravis

12. Parkinson's disease

13. Stroke

14. Wilson's disease

Some medications, such as certain sedatives and seizure drugs, also can cause dysarthria.

Complications

Because of the communication problems dysarthria causes, complications can include:

Social difficulty. Communication problems may affect your relationships with family and friends and make social situations challenging.

Depression. In some people, dysarthria may lead to social isolation and depression.

Show references

1. Daroff RB, et al., eds. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 10, 2020.

2. Dysarthria. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/dysarthria/. Accessed April 6, 2020.

3. Maitin IB, et al., eds. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. McGraw-Hill Education; 2020. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed April 10, 2020.

4. Dysarthria in adults. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/PRPPrintTemplate.aspx?folderid=8589943481. Accessed April 6, 2020.

5. Drugs that cause dysarthria. IBM Micromedex. https://www.micromedexsolutions.com. Accessed April 10, 2020.

6. Lirani-Silva C, et al. Dysarthria and quality of life in neurologically healthy elderly and patients with Parkinson's disease. CoDAS. 2015; doi:10.1590/2317-1782/20152014083.

7. Signs and symptoms of untreated Lyme disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2020.

8. Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Neurological-Diagnostic-Tests-and-Procedures-Fact. Accessed April 6, 2020.

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This condition affects muscles used for speaking. Speech therapy and treating the underlying cause may improve speech.