DYSARTHRIA IN ADULTS

DYSARTHRIA in Adults

DYSARTHRIA in Adults

Introduction

Dysarthria is primarily a medical term. It is used to describe speech that is difficult to produce and/or difficult to understand as the result of lesions or damage to the nerves that send messages to the muscles involved in speech production. This includes the muscles for articulation or pronunciation (such as lips, tongue, jaw) as well as the muscles controlling nasality, phonation, and respiration. The muscles may be weak, be uncoordinated, move slowly, or not move at all. People with dysarthria may also have difficulty swallowing. People may be born with dysarthria (such as individuals with cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy). It may also result from a stroke, brain injury, tumor, infection, or a progressive neuromotor disease, such as Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ALS), multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease.

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder due to neurological impairment of the speech mechanism. The disorder is characterized by slurred and indistinct speech that affects speech intelligibility and can have a significant effect on quality of life. (1, 2) As dysarthria accounts for approximately 54% of adult neurogenic communication disorders, (3) the valid and reliable assessment of this disorder is an integral component of speech pathology practice. The demand for speech pathology services has increased in parallel with an aging population and the ensuing increases in the incidence of stroke and other neurological impairments. As a result, access to speech pathology services has become increasingly restricted. The development of telerehabilitation within speech pathology is viewed as a potential adjunct to the traditional service delivery models, and a means by which access to speech pathology services may be improved. (Bellaire, Yorkston, Beukelman, 1986)

Kinds of DYSARTHRIA and its impact

Dysarthria can be characterized in many different ways depending on the extent and location of the lesion. It may be localized, affecting only one muscle or muscle group (such as only respiration) or it may be generalized affecting many components, respiration, nasality, and phonation as well as articulation. People with dysarthria may experience limited lip, tongue, and jaw movement, slurred speech, slow speech or rapid mumbled speech, soft or inaudible speech, breathiness, hoarseness, and drooling. If someone is unable to understand them, they may walk away, talk loudly, or talk to others about them.

Some people with dysarthria choose therapy to learn compensatory strategies for improving swallowing, improving the functionality, intelligibility of their speech or to learn augmentative, alternative ...