Description

The dysarthria that happens when the muscles used in speech are weak or are difficult to control. Dysarthria often causes difficulty or slow speech that can be difficult to understand.

The common causes of dysarthria include conditions that affect the nervous system or that causes facial paralysis. These conditions can cause the tongue or throat muscle weakness. Certain medications also can cause dysarthria.

The treatment of the underlying cause of dysarthria can improve your speech. You may also need speech therapy. For dysarthria caused by the prescription drug, changing or stopping medication can help.

Symptoms

The symptoms of dysarthria depend on the underlying cause and the type of dysarthria.

Symptoms may include:

  • Difficulty in speech.
  • Disorders of speech.
  • Not being able to speak louder than a whisper or speaking too loudly.
  • Rapid speech that is difficult to understand.
  • Nasal, raspy, or strained voice.
  • Uneven rhythm of speech.
  • Uneven volume of voice.
  • Monotone speech.
  • Difficulty moving the tongue or facial muscles.

When to see a doctor

Dysarthria may be a sign of a serious condition. Consult a health care professional right away if you have sudden or unexplained changes in your ability to speak.

Causes

Dysarthria can be caused by conditions that hinder the movement of the muscles in the mouth, face, or upper part of the respiratory system. These muscles control the speech.

Conditions that may lead to dysarthria include:

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
  • The brain injury.
  • Tumor in the brain.
  • The Cerebral palsy.
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  • Head injury.
  • Huntington's disease.
  • Lyme disease.
  • Multiple sclerosis.
  • Duchenne Muscular dystrophy.
  • Myasthenia gravis.
  • Parkinson's disease.
  • Stroke.
  • Wilson's disease.

Some medications also can cause dysarthria. These may include some sedatives and medicines for seizures.

Risk factors

Dysarthria risk factors include having a neurological condition that affects the muscles that control speech.

Complications

The complications of dysarthria can come to have problems with communication. Complications can include:

  • Problems to socialize. Communication problems can affect their relationships with family and friends. These problems can also be done in social situations difficult.
  • Depression. In some people, dysarthria can lead to social isolation and depression.

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of dysarthria, a speech-language pathologist can evaluate your voice to help you find the type of dysarthria has. This can be useful for the neurologist, who will look for the underlying cause.

During the speech of the evaluation, the speech-language pathologist listen carefully to your speech and identify the characteristics of the dysarthria. You may be asked to read aloud and repeat words and phrases. The speech-language pathologist is also evaluated their ability to move and control the muscles of the face, tongue, and throat.

Your healthcare provider may also order tests to look for underlying conditions, including:

  • Imaging tests. Imaging tests create pictures of the body. For dysarthria, tests such as an mri or a ct scan can be used to create detailed images of your brain, the head and the neck. These images can help to find the cause of your problem of language.
  • Brain and nerve studies. Brain and nerve studies may help to identify the origin of their symptoms. An electroencephalogram, also known as EEG measures the electrical activity in the brain. An electromyogram, also known as EMG assesses the electrical activity of the nerves as they transmit messages to the muscles. Nerve conduction studies measure the strength and speed of the electrical signals that travel through the nerves to the muscles.
  • Blood and urine tests. Blood and urine tests can help find out if an infectious or inflammatory disease that is causing your symptoms.
  • The Lumbar puncture. A lumbar puncture, also known as a lumbar puncture, were used to collect a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid for analysis in the laboratory. During this procedure, a health care professional inserts a needle into the lower part of your back to remove the sample. A lumbar puncture can help diagnose serious infections, central nervous system disorders, and cancers of the brain or of the spinal cord.
  • The biopsy of the brain. If a brain tumor is suspected, your health care professional may remove a small sample of your brain tissue for testing in a lab.
  • Neuropsychological tests. Neuropsychological tests to measure their thinking skills and their ability to understand speech, reading and writing. Dysarthria does not affect these skills, but an underlying condition can be.

Treatment

Treatment of dysarthria depend on the cause and severity of your symptoms. The treatment may also depend on the type of dysarthria has.

When possible, the underlying cause of dysarthria is treated. This can help improve his speech. If dysarthria is caused by the prescription drugs, consult your healthcare professional about how to change or stop taking these medications.

Speech and language therapy

You can have speech and language therapy to help you regain speech and improve communication. Your speech therapy goals may include the adjustment of the speed of the voice, strengthening the muscles, the increase of respiratory support, the improvement of the joint and helping family members to communicate with you.

Your speech-language pathologist may recommend trying other methods of communication if the speech and language therapy is not effective. These methods of communication may include visual cues, gestures, and an alphabet board or computer-based technology.

Coping and support

If dysarthria makes his speech difficult to understand, these tips can help you communicate more effectively:

  • Get the listener's attention. Call the listener name or otherwise call your attention before you speak. It is of great help when you and the listener can see the face of the other before starting to speak.
  • Speak slowly. The listeners can better understand when you have more time to think about what they are listening to.
  • Start with something small. Introduce the topic with a word or a short sentence before speaking in longer sentences.
  • Meter of understanding. Ask listeners to confirm that you do not know what you're saying.
  • If you're tired, keep it short. Fatigue can make your voice difficult to understand.
  • To have a backup. Writing messages that may be useful. Type messages on a cell phone or handheld device. Consider carrying a pen and small pad of paper with you.
  • Use the shortcuts. Create drawings and diagrams, or use of the photos in the conversations. This way you don't have to say everything. Gesturing or pointing to an object you can also help convey your message.

Family and friends

If you have a family member or friend with dysarthria, the following suggestions may help you to better communicate with that person:

  • Reduce the distracting noise in the environment.
  • Allow the person time to talk.
  • Look at the person when you're talking about.
  • Do not finish their sentences or correct errors.
  • If you do not fully understand what the speaker said, avoid asking "What?" In its place, repeat the words you hear and understand what the speaker just has to repeat the clear parts of the message.
  • Ask yes or no questions.
  • Keep paper and pencils or pens easily available.
  • Help the person with dysarthria create a book of words, images, and pictures to help with the conversations.
  • Involve the person with dysarthria in conversation as much as possible.
  • Talk regularly. Many people with dysarthria understand others. There is No need to slow down or speak in a loud voice when you speak.

Preparing for your appointment

Dysarthria requires immediate medical attention. Consult a doctor or other health care professional right away if you have sudden or unexplained changes in your ability to speak.

If the changes are more subtle, it is likely to start by seeing your primary care physician. If your doctor suspects a medical condition that is causing your symptoms, you will likely be referred to a nervous system specialist called a neurologist for further evaluation.

What you can do to prepare

  • Be aware of pre-appointment restrictions. Ask if there is something that you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet for blood tests.
  • Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Write important personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
  • Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements you are taking.
  • Consider the possibility of a family member or friend. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all of the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write questions to ask their health professional.

Questions to ask your doctor

Your time with your health care professional is limited. Prepare a list of questions so that you can make the most of your time together. A list of questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For dysarthria, some basic questions to ask include:

  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • What tests do I need?
  • I need to see a specialist?
  • What treatments are available?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What sites do you recommend?

Do not hesitate to ask other questions as well.

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer some questions about your symptoms and your health, such as:

  • When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
  • The symptoms been permanent or casual?
  • How severe are the symptoms?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
Symptoms and treatment of Dysarthria