Lakeshore Speech provides dysarthria treatment for motor speech disorders whereby the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all after a stroke or other brain injury. The type and severity of dysarthria depend on which area of the nervous system is affected.
Some causes of dysarthria include stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy. Both children and adults can have dysarthria.
A person with dysarthria may experience any of the following symptoms, depending on the extent and location of damage to the nervous system:
A Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) can evaluate a person with speech difficulties and determine the nature and severity of the problem. The SLP will look at movement of the lips, tongue, and face, as well as breath support for speech, voice quality, and more.
Another motor speech disorder is apraxia. An important role of the SLP is to determine whether the person's speech problems are due to dysarthria, apraxia, or both.
Treatment depends on the cause, type, and severity of the symptoms. An SLP works with the individual to improve communication abilities.
It is important for both the person with dysarthria and the people he or she communicates with to work together to improve interactions. Here are some tips for both speaker and listener.
Children may need additional help to remember to use these strategies.
