dysarthria
Pronunciation: dis-AR-three-uh
Motor speech disorder affecting articulation due to weakness or incoordination of speech muscles.
Full Definition
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder characterized by difficulty articulating words due to impaired control of the muscles used for speech production. Unlike aphasia, which involves language processing deficits, dysarthria specifically affects the motor execution of speech. It can result from upper or lower motor neuron lesions, cerebellar dysfunction, or neuromuscular disorders. Clinical subtypes include spastic, flaccid, ataxic, hypokinetic, and hyperkinetic dysarthria. In neurological documentation, the type and severity of dysarthria provide important localizing information.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from aphasia (language disorder) and apraxia of speech (motor planning disorder).
In Context
- "The patient exhibited mild spastic dysarthria with slow, effortful speech production." — Speech-language pathology evaluation
- "Hypokinetic dysarthria was evident, characterized by reduced loudness and monotone speech." — Parkinson's disease assessment