Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder characterized by impairments in speech resulting from reduced strength and/or coordination of the muscles of the speech mechanism (lips and tongue). This acquired speech disorder may occur after a stroke, brain injury, or other neurological damage. Characteristics of dysarthria include: 
  • Slurred or mumbled speech 
  • Speaking too slowly or too quickly 
  • Speaking too softly 
  • Sounding monotone 
  • Sounding too nasal 
  • Changes in how your voice sounds

Dysarthria Diagnosis and Treatment

At Wake Forest Baptist Health, our speech-language pathologists will meet with you, take your medical history, and perform a comprehensive motor speech evaluationEvaluation will include assessment of your speech using appropriate standardized and functional measures to determine the presence and type of speech impairment.

The information gathered during the evaluation will be used to establish a treatment plan that is right for you. Our speech-language pathologists work closely with each patient, customizing therapeutic tasks to help improve your speech abilities. Therapy may include restorative treatments, compensatory strategies, communication partner training, and possibly augmentative and alternative communication devices.