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What is Dysarthria?

Dysarthria is a condition that makes speaking difficult because the muscles needed for speech are weak. We use many muscles to talk, including muscles in our face, lips, tongue, and throat, as well as muscles for breathing. It is harder to talk when these muscles are not functioning correctly due to weakness or other challenges.

Symptoms of Dysarthria

  • Unclear speech
  • Speaking too quickly or too slowly
  • Speaking softly
  • Difficulty moving your tongue, lips, and jaw
  • Changes in your voice
  • Sounding hoarse
  • Sounding congested
  • Sounding choppy or robotic

Causes of Dysarthria

Dysarthria is caused by brain or nerve damage. It can happen at birth or after an illness or injury. Anything that causes brain damage can cause dysarthria, such as:

Dysarthria can also be a side effect of some medications, such as those used to treat epilepsy.

UR Medicine's Treatments for Dysarthria

Your provider will likely give you a physical and neurological exam. They may test your strength, feeling, and reflexes, and listen to your heart and the vessels in your neck. An imaging test, usually an MRI or CT scan, may be performed if the cause of the dysarthria is unknown. You may also be evaluated by a neurologist or in one of the neurology specialty clinics at UR Medicine.

If dysarthria is suspected, you will be referred to a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for an assessment. The goal of the dysarthria assessment is to identify:

  • Unique characteristics of your speech
  • Which of your speech subsystems are affected
  • Other systems and processes that may be affected, like swallowing or language
  • The overall impact of dysarthria on your communication

After your assessment, the SLP will determine the best therapy to help improve your speech. This may include:

  • Exercises to strengthen muscles used for speech
  • Adjusting speech speed
  • Increasing breath support during speech
  • Improving articulation

What Sets Us Apart?

Our speech pathologists are licensed by the New York State Department of Education and hold Certificates of Clinical Competence for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), in addition to postgraduate training and certifications in several clinical subspecialties. Our providers use an interdisciplinary model, collaborating with other specialists in the fields of neuropsychology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy to help you meet your goals.

Locations

We serve you in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region.

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7 locations

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Batavia
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

7995 Call Parkway, Suite 100
Batavia, NY 14020

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Geneva

64 Elizabeth Blackwell Street, Suite A
Geneva, NY 14456

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Rochester
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

Ambulatory Care Center at Strong Memorial Hospital
601 Elmwood Avenue, 3rd Floor
Rochester, NY 14642

Ear, Nose, & Throat - North Greece
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

60 Greece Center Drive, Suite 2
Rochester, NY 14612

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Brighton
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

Clinton Woods
2365 South Clinton Avenue, Suite 200
Rochester, NY 14618

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Rochester

Highland Professional Office Building
990 South Avenue, Suite 207
Rochester, NY 14620

Ear, Nose, & Throat - Hornell

St. James Medical Office Building
7309 Seneca Road North, Specialty Clinic, Suite 102
Hornell, NY 14843

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