What Is Dysarthria
Learn about dysarthria, a speech problem due to muscle weakness in the face, lips, tongue, throat, and breathing muscles.
Dysarthria is a speech problem caused by muscle weakness in the face, lips, tongue, throat, and breathing muscles. It is caused by brain damage. This may be present at birth (congenital) because of disorders such as cerebral palsy. Or it may be the result of a stroke or other types of brain injury. A person who has dysarthria knows which words to use. But they may not be able to make the right sounds. This disorder may also cause trouble swallowing or chewing.
Signs of dysarthria
The signs of dysarthria vary with each person. A person with dysarthria may show some or all of the signs listed below.
A person with dysarthria may not be able to do the following:
Make certain sounds
Speak whole sentences clearly
Control their tone of voice, volume, or breaks between words
Realize their speech is hard to understand
Control their saliva
A person with dysarthria may do the following:
Speak certain sounds louder than others
Sound harsh, jerky, breathy, irregular, or raspy during speech
Pause for breath in the wrong places
Drop or slur parts of words
Speak slowly or in a way that sounds hesitant or halting