Motor-speech disorders are speech disorders resulting from neurological damage that affects the motor control of speech muscles or motor programming of speech movements. There are two major types of motor speech disorders: dysarthria and apraxia. In these conditions, the connection between the brain and the speech mechanism is damaged or interrupted. This makes it difficult to control and/or coordinate the muscles of the face, tongue, or larynx for the purposes of speaking.
Dysarthria and/or apraxia of speech occur in children and adults. They are associated with conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke, or traumatic brain injury.
Symptoms of dysarthria may include slurred speech, varied rate of speech (too fast or too slow), soft or whispered speech, or difficulty moving the tongue and facial muscles. Symptoms of apraxia include inconsistent speech sound errors, difficulty producing multisyllabic words, difficulty repeating words accurately, groping or struggling to produce a sound, and problems coordinating muscles of the face, tongue, and larynx.
Specific treatment for motor speech disorders will be determined by speech and language therapists and other members of the medical team.
Treatments for dysarthria involve strengthening the muscles involved in speech production, changing the rate of speech, increasing the respiratory and vocal support of speech, and increasing the precision of speech production. Treatments for apraxia include techniques to improve coordination and sound sequencing.
Specially for children, play-based therapy techniques and reinforcement are used to make therapy fun and motivating for children.
Asst. Prof. Najva MOUSAVİ
