FAQ: How Do You Treat Dysarthria?

Treating dysarthria

1. strategies to improve speech, such as slowing speech down.
2. exercises to improve the volume or clarity of speech.
3. assistive devices, such as a simple alphabet board, an amplifier, or a computerised voice output system.

Can dysarthria be cured?

Dysarthria caused by medicines or poorly fitting dentures can be reversed. Dysarthria caused by a stroke or brain injury will not get worse, and may improve. Dysarthria after surgery to the tongue or voice box should not get worse, and may improve with therapy.

How do you fix dysarthria?

Treating the underlying cause of your dysarthria may improve your speech. You may also need speech therapy. For dysarthria caused by prescription medications, changing or discontinuing the medications may help.

What part of the brain is damaged in dysarthria?

Ataxic dysarthria causes symptoms of slurred speech and poor coordination. This type of dysarthria can occur if a person sustains damage to the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for receiving sensory information and regulating movement.

What type of doctor treats dysarthria?

A speech-language pathologist might evaluate your speech to help determine the type of dysarthria you have. This can be helpful to the neurologist, who will look for the underlying cause.

How do you fix slurring?

How is dysarthria treated?

1. Increase tongue and lip movement.
2. Strengthen your speech muscles.
3. Slow the rate at which you speak.
4. Improve your breathing for louder speech.
5. Improve your articulation for clearer speech.
6. Practice group communication skills.
7. Test your communication skills in real-life. situations.

Can dysarthria be temporary?

The medical term for slurred speech is dysarthria. Slurred speech may develop slowly over time or follow a single incident. Slurred speech may be temporary or permanent, depending on the underlying cause.

What causes slurring?

Common causes of speech disorders include alcohol or drug poisoning, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neuromuscular disorders. Neuromuscular disorders that often cause slurred speech include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease.

How can I strengthen my mouth muscles?

Extend your tongue to the bumpy part on the top of your mouth right behind your teeth. Then curl your tongue back toward the back of your mouth as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat 5 times.

What is the most common type of dysarthria?

A lesser variant of spastic dysarthria, called unilateral upper motor neuron dysarthria, is a similar speech pattern but usually less severe, associated with a unilateral upper motor neuron lesion such as in stroke. This may be the most common type of dysarthria encountered by neurologists.

Can dysarthria improve?

Whether dysarthria will improve with speech and language therapy depends on the cause and the extent of the brain damage or dysfunction. Some causes remain stable, while others may worsen over time.

What lesion causes dysarthria?

Dysarthria can be due to lesions in the cortical motor-face area, cerebellum, brainstem, or cranial nerves or the innervation of muscles for articulation. Dysarthria can occur in several diseases, both neurologic and nonneurologic. Dysarthria can be drug-induced or a result of exposure to environmental toxins.

How is hypokinetic dysarthria treated?

One approach to improving outcomes among patients with hypokinetic dysarthria is respiratory effort therapy, a treatment technique that aims to change a patient’s physiological capacity for producing higher intensity speech.

How do you test for dysarthria?

What tests might I need to diagnose dysarthria?

1. MRI or CT scans of the neck and brain.
2. Evaluation of your ability to swallow.
3. Electromyography to test the electrical function of your muscles and nerves.
4. Blood tests (to look for signs of infection or inflammation).

What is the difference between dysarthria and dysphonia?

Dysarthria is caused by neurologic damage to the motor components of speech, which may involve any or all of the speech processes, including respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody. Dysphonia refers to disordered sound production at the level of the larynx, classically seen as hoarseness.