What is dysarthria?

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder. 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.

What are some signs or symptoms of dysarthria?

A person with dysarthria may experience any of the following symptoms, depending on the extent and location of damage to the nervous system:

How is dysarthria diagnosed?

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.

SLPs work in many places, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and schools. Sometimes an SLP can come to a person’s home.

What treatment is available for people with dysarthria?

Treatment depends on the cause, type, and severity of the symptoms. An SLP works with the individual to improve communication abilities.

Possible Goals of Treatment

What can I do to communicate better with a person with dysarthria?

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.

Tips for the Person With Dysarthria

Children may need additional help to remember to use these strategies.

Tips for the Listener