Dysarthria

What is dysarthria?

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder resulting from impaired movement of the muscles used for speech production. Dysarthria is characterized by abnormalities in the speed, range, strength, tone, steadiness, or accuracy of movements required for breathing and speaking. These abnormalities can be due to weakness or paralysis, involuntary movements, incoordination, and reduced or variable muscle tone.

There are several types of dysarthria, classified by the different characteristics in respiration, phonation, resonance, articulation, and prosody. Dysarthria is seen most often in individuals with stroke, traumatic brain injuries, tumors, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Speech Therapy for Dysarthria

A speech-language pathologist works with patients to screen, assess, diagnose, and treat individuals with dysarthria. Based on the type of dysarthria, speech therapy can take many forms, including working on rate of speech, improving breath support, strengthening muscles, increasing movement of lips and tongue, and targeting specific speech sounds. Treatment approaches can be restorative and/or compensatory in nature, depending on severity. Treatment can sometimes include family members, friends, or others who support the individual with dysarthria.

Speech therapy at Therapy Care can help

Here at Therapy Care, our experienced Physical therapists are skilled in many different areas regarding speech and dysarthria. If you’re struggling with a motor speech disorder, a highly trained Therapy Care therapist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and provide treatment recommendations. Interventions may include: advanced oral-motor treatments, neuromuscular reeducation, functional computer retraining, intensive voice programs and traditional speech therapy techniques.

Dysarthria can cause drops in self-esteem and also negatively affect a person’s confidence. Do you believe you or a loved one has dysarthria that needs immediate attention? Rest assured, you’re in good hands in our clinic. Contact Therapy Care Batavia, IL today to schedule your consultation in Batavia.