CNN

Signs and symptoms of dysarthria vary, depending on the underlying cause. They may include:

• Slurred speech
• Slow rate of speech
• Inability to speak louder than a whisper
• Rapid rate of speech that is difficult to understand
• Nasal, raspy or strained voice quality
• Uneven or abnormal rhythm of speech
• Uneven volume of speech
• Monotone speech
• Difficulty moving your tongue or facial muscles
• Drooling

When to see a doctor
Because dysarthria can be sign of a serious underlying problem, see your doctor if you experience sudden or unexplained changes in your ability to speak clearly.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

Dysarthria is caused by difficulty or inability to move the muscles in your mouth, face or upper respiratory system that control speech.

Conditions that may result in dysarthria include:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Brain injury
• Brain tumor
• Cerebral palsy
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Head injury
• Huntington's disease
• Lyme disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myasthenia gravis
• Parkinson's disease
• Stroke
• Wilson's disease

Some medications, such as narcotics or sedatives, also may cause dysarthria.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

Dysarthria can lead to a number of complications, including:

• Communication problems. Dysarthria may make it difficult for others to understand you when you speak, decreasing your ability to communicate effectively.
• Social difficulty. The communication problems caused by dysarthria may affect your relationships with family and friends and can make social situations challenging.
• Depression. In some people, dysarthria may lead to social isolation and depression.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

Dysarthria requires prompt medical attention. See a doctor right away if you experience sudden or unexplained changes in your ability to speak clearly. You're likely to start by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner who will ask about your symptoms, do an initial physical examination and review the medications you're taking. If your doctor suspects that an underlying medical condition is causing your symptoms, he or she will likely refer you to a nervous system specialist (neurologist) for further evaluation.

Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.

What you can do

• Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
• Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
• Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
• Make a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements that you're taking.
• Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
• Write down questions to ask your doctor.

Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For dysarthria, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

• Is dysarthria the likely cause of my symptoms?
• What are other possible causes for my symptoms?
• What kinds of tests do I need?
• Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
• Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What Web sites do you recommend?

In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment anytime you don't understand something.

What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may allow more time to cover other points you want to address. Your doctor may ask:

• When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
• Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
• How severe are your symptoms?
• What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

Your speaking difficulty may be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist to diagnose the type of dysarthria you may exhibit. This can be helpful to the neurologist who will be responsible for finding the underlying cause.

Along with a review of your medical history and a thorough physical exam, the tests and procedures used to investigate possible underlying causes include:

• Imaging tests. Imaging tests, such as a computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can be used to create images of your brain, head and neck that may help identify the cause of a speech problem.
• Brain and nerve studies. An electroencephalogram (EEG) may be used to measure the electrical activity in your brain. An electromyogram (EMG) can evaluate the electrical activity in your nerves as they transmit messages to your muscles. Nerve conduction studies can measure the strength and speed of the electrical signals as they travel through your nerves to your muscles. These tests can help pinpoint the source of your symptoms and may assist in diagnosing the underlying cause.
• Blood and urine tests. Analysis of your blood and urine can help determine if an infectious or inflammatory disease may be causing your symptoms.
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap). In this procedure, a doctor or nurse removes a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid from within your spinal canal for laboratory analysis. A lumbar puncture can help diagnose serious infections; disorders of the central nervous system, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and multiple sclerosis; and cancers of the brain or spinal cord.
• Brain biopsy. If a brain tumor is suspected, your doctor may take a small sample of your brain tissue to be analyzed in the laboratory.
• Neuropsychological tests. This group of tests measures your cognitive function and assesses your intellectual, language and spatial skills, as well as memory, reasoning and judgment. In many cases, these cognitive skills aren't affected by dysarthria. Although dysarthria makes speaking difficult, many people with this disorder have no trouble understanding speech, written language and nonverbal communication.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

Treatment of dysarthria is directed at the underlying cause when possible, which may improve your speech. If dysarthria is caused by prescription medications, talk to your doctor about the possibility of changing or discontinuing such medications.

Speech and language therapy
Speech and language therapy may be necessary to help you regain normal speech. A speech-language pathologist can determine the severity of your speech difficulties, develop a treatment plan to improve your speech, and then work with you to put that plan into action.

If it's not possible to improve your speech to a level that allows for effective communication, your speech-language pathologist may recommend other communication methods (augmentative alternative communication) — such as visual cues, gestures, an alphabet board or electronic equipment — to help you communicate efficiently.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.

If you have significant dysarthria that makes your speech difficult to understand, the following tips may help you communicate more effectively with others:

• Start small. Introduce your topic with a single word or short phrase before speaking in longer sentences.
• Gauge understanding. Check with your listeners to confirm that they know what you're saying.
• If you're tired, keep it short. Fatigue can make your speech harder to understand, so limit conversations if you feel tired.
• Have a backup. Carry a pencil and small pad of paper with you, so you can write your message if necessary.
• Use shortcuts. Create drawings and diagrams or use photos during conversations, so you don't have to say everything. Gesturing or pointing to an object can also help convey your message.

Family and friends
If you have a family member or friend with dysarthria, the following tips may help you better communicate with that person:

• Allow the person time to talk.
• Don't finish sentences or correct errors.
• Look at the person as he or she is speaking.
• Reduce distracting noise in the environment.
• Let the person know if you're having trouble understanding him or her.
• Keep paper and pencils or pens readily available.
• Help the person with dysarthria create a book of words, pictures and photos to assist with conversations.
• Involve the person with dysarthria in conversations as much as possible.
• Talk as you normally would. Many people with dysarthria can understand others without difficulty. If that's the case for your loved one, there's no need to slow down or speak loudly when you talk.

©1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.
Read this article on Mayoclinic.com.