Dysarthria is a speech disorder caused by muscle weakness making it hard for you to talk. It can be mild or severe. Brain damage causes dysarthria. It can happen at birth or after an illness or injury. Anything that causes brain damage can cause dysarthria. We have Speech-Language Pathologists who specialize in treating Dysarthria in adults.

Characteristics

• “Slurred” or “mumbled” speech
• Speaking too slow or too fast
• Speaking softly
• Unable to move tongue, lips or jaw well
• Sounding robotic or choppy

Physical Signs

• Muscle wasting
• Abnormal muscle tone at rest
• Tremor of head, jaw, lip, tongue or velum
• Weakness of tongue, lower face or velum
• Involuntary movements
• Abnormal reflexes

Causes

• Stroke or brain injury
• Tumors or Parkinson’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS
• Huntington’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy

For more information on dysarthria, call our office at (208) 535-1286.