Dysarthria, apraxia and motor speech disorders

Dysarthria is a speech disorder with a neurological basis, typically resulting from stoke or head injury. Individuals with this condition lack the strength to properly control all the muscles associated with speech production (such as the mouth, tongue, face or respiratory system). Characteristics of dysarthria may include poor articulation, slurring or 'mumbled' speech. Important to note, individuals with dysarthria commonly experience swallowing disorders as well.

Verbal Apraxia, also a neurological condition, is an issue of motor planning within the brain. Although the muscles associated with speech production are functional and the individual knows what they would like to say, the brain is unable convey the proper instructions to speech-related anatomy. Possible symptoms of this condition include an inability to mimick sounds, slower speech and inconsistency in verbal errors.

With all motor speech disorders, the course of treatment and expected outcome depends on the severity or source of the impairment. A speech-language pathologist will help the patient establish realistic goals and retrain speech through repetition and the implementation of effective communication strategies.

For additional information about Dysarthria from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, click HERE.

For additional information about Apraxia from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, click HERE.


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