Dysarthria is an acquired speech disorder following a stroke and other forms of neurological injuries. It is a physical speech difficulty, due to weak, imprecise, slow and/or uncoordinated control of the muscles used for speech. This includes muscles in our face, mouth, throat as well as our breathing.

Symptom checklist

Do you find your loved one hesitating to speak or does their speech sounds slurred, making it difficult for others to understand?

Does it almost sound like the words are running into each other?

Does their voice sound hoarse?

Do they have problems controlling loudness of their voice – does it sound too loud or too soft?

Do they have difficulties controlling rate of their speech?

Does their speech appear better at a particular time of the day or when they are saying single words or short phrases?

Do you think their lack of intonation/inflection in speech is causing it to sound ‘flat’?