dysarthria
Pronunciation: dis-AR-three-uh
A motor speech disorder caused by neurological damage to the muscles controlling speech, resulting in slurred, slow, or distorted articulation.
Full Definition
Dysarthria is a neurogenic motor speech disorder arising from weakness, paralysis, or incoordination of the muscles used for speech production, including those controlling respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation. It is a common sequela of stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy. Unlike aphasia, which involves a language processing deficit, dysarthria does not impair linguistic competence—the patient understands language and knows what they want to say, but cannot produce clear speech. Editors must not conflate dysarthria with dysphasia or aphasia. In rehabilitation documents, the type of dysarthria (e.g., spastic, flaccid, ataxic, hypokinetic, hyperkinetic, mixed) should be specified where possible.
Usage
Usage note: Never substitute for 'aphasia' or 'dysphagia'. Confirm subtype classification when editing clinical reports. Note the 'dys-' prefix (impaired), not 'a-' (absent).
In Context
- "Spastic dysarthria secondary to bilateral upper motor neuron lesions was confirmed by the speech-language pathologist." — Post-stroke rehabilitation assessment
- "The patient's dysarthria significantly impaired communication during the initial rehabilitation admission." — Speech therapy progress note