Other Speech and Language Disorders

Dysarthria

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/dysarthria.htm

After a stroke or other brain injury, the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all. The resulting speech condition is called dysarthria. The type and severity of dysarthria depends on which area of the nervous system is affected.

Symptoms

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

• slurred speech
• speaking softly or barely able to whisper
• slow rate of speech
• rapid rate of speech with a "mumbling" quality
• limited tongue, lip, and jaw movement
• abnormal intonation (rhythm) when speaking
• changes in vocal quality ("nasal" speech or sounding "stuffy")
• hoarseness
• breathiness
• drooling or poor control of saliva
• chewing and swallowing difficulty

Causes

Dysarthria is caused by many different conditions that involve the nervous system, including:

• Stroke
• Brain injury
• Tumors
• Cerebral Palsy
• Parkinson's disease
• Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS)
• Huntington's disease
• Multiple Sclerosis

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