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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have significant dysarthria that makes your speech difficult to understand, these suggestions may help you communicate more effectively with others:
- Start small. Introduce your topic with one word or a short phrase before speaking in longer sentences.
- Gauge understanding. Ask your listeners to confirm that they know what you're saying.
- If you're tired, keep it short. Fatigue can make your speech more difficult to understand, so keep conversations short if you feel tired.
- Have a backup. Carry a pencil and small pad of paper with you, so you can write your message if necessary.
- Use shortcuts. Create drawings and diagrams or use photos during conversations, so you don't have to say everything. Gesturing or pointing to an object also can help convey your message.
Family and friends
If you have a family member or friend with dysarthria, the following suggestions may help you better communicate with that person:
- Allow the person time to talk.
- Don't finish sentences or correct errors.
- Look at the person as he or she is speaking.
- Reduce distracting noises in the environment.
- Tell the person if you're having trouble understanding him or her.
- Keep paper and pencils or pens readily available.
- Help the person with dysarthria create a book of words, pictures and photos to assist with conversations.
- Involve the person with dysarthria in conversations as much as possible.
- Talk normally. Many people with dysarthria can understand others without difficulty. If that's the case for your loved one, there's no need to slow down or speak loudly when you talk.
References
- Dysarthria. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/dysarthria/. Accessed Feb. 27, 2012.
- Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:79.
- Dysarthria: Causes and number. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/DysarthriaCauses.htm. Accessed Feb. 27, 2012.
- Treatment efficacy summary — Dysarthria (neurological motor speech impairment). American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/EfficacySummaries/. Accessed Feb. 27, 2012.
- Cohen SM, et al. Palliative treatment of dysphonia and dysarthria. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2009;42:107.
- Ropper AH, et al. Adams & Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=54. Accessed Feb. 28, 2012.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Feb. 28, 2012.
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