Motor speech disorders SERVICES

What are motor speech disorders?

Motor speech disorders occur when an individual struggles to produce speech sounds because of problems with motor planning. This typically occurs when the connections between the brain and the articulators (lips, tongue, palate, jaw, etc.) are not firing correctly or have been damaged. This causes difficulty with control and/or coordination of the muscles of the face, tongue, or larynx for the purposes of speaking.

The most common types of motor speech disorders include dysarthria, apraxia of speech, and neurogenic disfluency/stuttering.

What are the symptoms of a motor speech disorder?

There are multiple types of dysarthria. Symptoms of dysarthria vary based upon the type of dysarthria presented, or the location of the brain lesion. Symptoms of apraxia and neurogenic disfluency/stuttering are typically more consistent.

Symptoms of apraxia typically include:

  • Inconsistent speech sound errors

  • Difficulty producing multisyllabic words

  • Difficulty repeating words accurately

  • Groping or struggling to produce a sound

  • Problems coordinating muscles of the face, tongue, and larynx

Although symptoms of dysarthria vary based on the type of dysarthria present, the 5 sub-systems of speech production are typically involved in some combination. These 5 sub-systems include: respiration (breathing), phonation (voicing), articulation, resonance, and prosody.

Symptoms of dysarthria may include:

  • Slurred speech

  • Imprecise consonants

  • Distorted vowels

  • Irregular articulatory breakdown

  • Short phrases

  • Reduced volume of speech

  • Forced expiration/inspiration

  • Pitch level higher or lower than baseline

  • Reduced pitch variation

  • Pitch breaks

  • Atypical voice quality

  • Diplophonia (double pitch)

  • Voice tremor

  • Reduced control of voice onset and offset

  • Hypernasality

  • Hyponasality

  • Audible nasal emission/nasal snort

  • Atypical rate of speech

  • Short rushes of speech

  • Reduced stress

  • Excessive and equal stress

  • Atypical silences

  • Atypical intonation

  • Difficulty moving the tongue and lips

MOTOR SPEECH EVALUATION

Each Motor Speech Evaluation includes: 

  • Extensive review of medical/clinical records to determine potential impact of medications and treatment of other medical diagnoses on cognitive & communicative function

  • Evaluation of the impact of cognitive and/or behavioral skills on safety and functionality of communication

  • Language sampling

  • Standardized assessment of motor speech

  • Recommendations for motor speech intervention and support, as necessary

  • Recommendations for optimizing communication and safety

  • Determination of need for further assessment to examine the impact of communication

  • Identification of need for referrals to other services or professionals to support optimal communication outcomes

  • Counseling, education, and training to the client, health care providers, and caregivers

  • Detailed written evaluation outlining findings and recommendations

Motor Speech Evaluations are 60-90 minutes in length. Motor Speech Evaluations may be completed in-person or via telehealth.

MOTOR SPEECH TREATMENT

Your personalized motor speech treatment session will include: 

  • Development of personal goals related to communication to maximize quality of life

  • Development and implementation of a personalized treatment plan to maximize safety and efficiency of communication

  • Counseling and advanced planning surrounding motor speech management, as applicable

Treatment Sessions are 50 minutes in length and can be scheduled in-person or via tele-practice.

Note: A Motor Speech Evaluation must be completed prior to booking Personalized Motor Speech Treatment Session(s).