What is Dysarthria
What is Dysarthria
A speech disorder caused by the in co-ordination or weakness of the speech muscles is called dysarthria. This can be a congenital or acquired disorder and it affects both adults and kids. The affected person may speak slowly and with difficulty. Dysarthria is a neurological problem caused by the damage of the frontal lobe or cranial nerves.
Subsystems for Speaking
For speaking clearly numerous subsystems have to work together. Any problem to any of these subsystems may cause dysarthria. The subsystems include the lungs that supply the air necessary for powering the speech system. The larynx helps the air to vibrate and thus produces the sound. A soft velopharyngeal palate remains as a door in between the nasal and oral cavities and channels the air in to different cavities and thus makes different quality in sound. Then the tongue, lips, jaw and teeth acts together to frame the sound in to different consonants and vowels.
If you have a weak respiratory system then the speech may be quiet with one word at a time. If the larynx is not functioning properly then the speech may be breathy, quiet and slow. The impaired velopharyngeal subsystem may either produce too nasal sound or no nasal sounds. If the articulator subsystem is not functioning properly then it may result in slurred and labored speech.
Symptoms of Dysarthria
Depending up on the severity and the location of damage to the nervous system the symptoms may vary from person to person. Some people may speak softly and they may hardly be able to whisper. Usually the rate of speech will be slow and at times with rapid rate of speech with a mumbling quality. Slurred speech is also a symptom of this disorder.
The lip, jaw and tongue movement may be limited in some people. Many of them show abnormal rhythm while speaking. There may be changes in vocal quality like “nasal” or “stuffy” speech. There may be hoarseness and breathlessness. Many people have poor control over saliva and there may be drooling. Some others may have swallowing and chewing difficulties.
Causes of Dysarthria
Head injury is a major cause for dysarthria both in kids and adults. Factors that cause damages to the nerves and thus causing dysarthria include brain tumors, meningitis, Parkinson disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, lead poisoning, alcohol abuse, drug abuse etc.
