Speaking Difficulty
Dysarthria means difficulty speaking. It can be caused by brain damage or by brain changes occurring in some conditions affecting the nervous system, or related to ageing.
Symptoms
- slurred, nasal-sounding or breathy speech
- a strained and hoarse voice
- excessively loud or quiet speech
- problems speaking in a regular rhythm, with frequent hesitations
- "gurgly" or monotone speech
- difficulty with tongue and lip movements
- difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), which may lead to constant drooling
- only be able to produce short phrases, single words or no intelligible speech at all
