What is dysarthria? Dysarthria is not apraxia but it is also a neuromotor speech impairment associated with slow, weak, and uncoordinated speech movements. Difficulties can occur in controlling the rate, duration, and range of speech. Children with dysarthria may have speech characteristics like lack of control in pitch and loudness of voice, their vocal quality could sound breathy or hoarse, or difficulty with precise consonants and speech sounds. These difficulties typically result in decreased intelligibility of the child’s speech and overall inability to understand them.
Associated medical conditions: Dysarthria is commonly associated with congenital disorders like Cerebral Palsy but can also occur alongside acquired brain tumors or traumatic brain injuries.
What does a speech therapy session look like? Within our speech sessions, we use evidence-based treatment modalities that address speech deficits that are common in children with dysarthria. For instance, we may utilize Rhythmic Speech Cueing to improve articulatory success and fluent speech production or we could use Communication Strategies to improve everyday communication and participation in conversation. There are multiple therapy techniques we can utilize that are specialized to the child’s communication needs.
Pennington, L., Parker, N., Kelly, H., & Miller, N. (2016, July). Speech therapy for children with dysarthria acquired before three years of age. PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457859/