Ataxia and Speech

I found this info on Dysarthria and how speech is produced.


What is Dysarthria?

Dysarthria is an articulation disorder caused by weakness or paralysis of the oral muscles (the muscles associated with speech). These include: the jaw, lips, tongue, and palate (the "roof of your mouth")

What causes Dysarthria?

The cause is due to damage to the nerves directly connected to the oral muscles. Dysarthria is classified as an oral-motor deficit and is treated by qualified speech-language pathologists.

Dysarthria is often a result of neurological condition, such as:

Multiple Sclerosis
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebellar Ataxia
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

However, it can also be acquired as the result of:

Stroke
Head Injury
Exposure to Toxic Substances


The Art of Speaking

Speech depends on your ability to control breathing, articulation, and voicing, all at the same time. If you actually had to think about each activity before performing the act of speech, you would probably only speak a few sentences per day.

Fortunately, our body system allows us to achieve the complex task of speaking with little effort. However, when we break down each system necessary for speech it becomes clear at how talented we truly are:

Breathing: Breath is the power behind our speech. Singers and active public speakers are well aware of this fact. Our lungs supply the energy necessary to support the stream of sentences we produce.

Articulators: General articulators are the jaw, lips, tongue, and palate. These all have to move in unison to create the many different positions in our mouth necessary to produce sound combinations that provide us with "words" and "sentences."

Voice: The vocal folds (more commonly known as, "vocal cords"), also have to be put into motion to produce sound.


All Three Working Together

Now, visualize yourself saying a simple sentence, such as, "I like cereal."

To say that seemingly easy sentence you have to:

Take in a breath, and then time its release carefully so it equally supports each word you say.

Move your jaw, tongue, and lips quickly and accurately into several different positions to create each vowel and consonant.

And, also open, close, and vibrate your vocal cords several times to supply sound.

All of these actions must take place at the same time and with precision each time you speak. It is an amazing feat when you realize the complexity of it.


What does this have to do with Dysarthria?

When any of these subsystems breaks down, you will encounter a disruption in your speech. Specific damage to an area of the brain responsible for oral motor strength will result in dysarthria.

Common characteristics of Dysarthria
Typical symptoms include:

Oral muscle weakness
Difficulty with oral coordination
Speech may have a "nasal quality"
Breath isn't supporting the voice, resulting in a "low speaking voice"
Overall speech sounds are slurred or garbled


Types Of Dysarthria

There are four commonly identified types of dysarthria. The cause of each type is determined by what is called, the site of lesion. This refers to a specific location in the brain where damaged occurred.

Each site of lesion (area of damage) will cause specific speech deficits:

1. Ataxic Dysarthria:
This is characterized by slow, erratic speech. Articulation errors may be somewhat irregular. Breathing coordination is frequently poor.

2. Flaccid Dysarthria:
Speech is characterized by a nasal quality (sounding as if "speaking through your nose") and a "breathy" voice due to poor closure of the vocal cords (resulting in low volume). Consonant
sounds are especially difficult to articulate.

3. Spastic Dysarthria:
As with flaccid dysarthria, consonants are mostly difficult to articulate. Speech is usually slow and seemingly strenuous. There is very little, if any, raising or lowering of vocal pitch sounding
like a "monotone voice").

4. Mixed Dysarthria:
Mixed dysarthria would include a variety of characteristics described in the types of dysarthria above. The specific symptoms will vary from person to person.


Psychological Effects

Patients with acquired speech disorders often experience significant and ongoing distress regarding psychosocial well-being and self-image.

The restrictions they face in carrying out everyday tasks such as, expressing their thoughts, talking on the telephone, and asking informative questions, often leave them feeling self-conscious in a variety of social situations.

Speech therapy not only improves a person's speech skills, but can also promote psychosocial well being and reduce the likelihood of feelings of embarrassment.



How can you help a loved one with Dysarthria?

Give the person extended time to talk. Do your best to be patient.

If you can't understand their speech, encourage other means of communicating such as, writing the message, pointing to objects or pictures, or by making gestures.

Always look at the person's lips and face, to get additional visual information.

Remind the person to speak slowly and exaggerate each sound.

If unsure of what the person said, you can repeat the information back to them to confirm the message.

Be respectful. Remember that the person is an adult with a speech disorder.

Hold conversations in a place with no distractions.

Always present a positive attitude.