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Speech therapist helping a little girl with tongue exercises during a dysarthria speech therapy sessions

Speech Therapy for Dysarthria: Techniques to Improve Speech and Confidence

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that occurs when damage to the nervous system weakens or paralyzes the muscles needed for speech. This condition can lead to communication challenges such as slurred speech and difficulty controlling voice pitch and volume, and can also cause problems eating and drinking ¹. Speech therapy plays a crucial role in managing these changes by helping individuals regain control over their communication. This can involve strategies focused on speech clarity and speed, improving the way you breathe to produce a loud and clear voice, or even using alternative methods of communication (e.g., gestures, writing, communication devices, etc.) ². 

What Is Dysarthria?

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that occurs following brain or nerve damage, impacting the muscles in the face, tongue, voice box (larynx), and jaw. This may cause changes to the way that these muscles work to produce speech, resulting in speech that is slurred, soft, strained, or difficult to understand ¹. While people with dysarthria typically understand language and know what they want to say, muscle weakness makes it difficult to produce clear speech ². 

Dysarthria can impact both adults and children, and can be either developmental or acquired:

  • Developmental dysarthria happens when brain damage occurs during fetal development or at birth. Conditions like cerebral palsy can cause developmental dysarthria ². This is typically diagnosed in children, but can continue into adulthood.
  • Acquired dysarthria happens as a result of brain damage later in life. This can be due to conditions like stroke, brain tumors, Parkinson’s disease, or traumatic brain injury (TBI) ³. This is more commonly seen in adults, but can occur in children.

There are six primary types, each with their own specific features and presentation. The type of dysarthria is identified by analysis of the perceptual features (how speech sounds to others) and the associated condition or disorder. These include flaccid, spastic, ataxic, hypokinetic, hyperkinetic, and mixed dysarthria ¹. Other types can include unilateral upper motor-neuron dysarthria and undetermined dysarthria (where features are consistent with dysarthria but don’t fit into any of the other identified types). 

Common Causes of Dysarthria

Dysarthria arises from damage to the brain or nervous system, and commonly occurs in certain neurological conditions. Many of these conditions impact the entire body and can also cause other changes in communication that may occur alongside dysarthria. This can include aphasia (a language disorder impacting the way a person understands and uses language) or apraxia (a motor-speech disorder impacting the planning and coordination of speech sounds). Some common causes of dysarthria include:

  • Stroke: A leading cause of dysarthria, affecting the brain’s ability to control speech muscles.
  • Neurological Diseases: Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, MND (Motor-Neurone Disease), MS (Multiple Sclerosis), and cerebral palsy can result in dysarthria ¹,³.
  • Brain Injury: Trauma to the brain can lead to speech difficulties.
  • Tumors or Infections: Tumors or infections affecting the brain or nervous system can also cause dysarthria.

Symptoms of Dysarthria

The primary symptom of dysarthria is difficulty speaking clearly. Other symptoms may include:

  • Slurred speech or mumbling
  • Speaking too fast or too slowly
  • Voice issues such as hoarseness, harshness, or breathiness
  • Inconsistent pitch or volume ⁴
  • Short, choppy sentences instead of fluent speech

Additionally, muscle control issues may affect swallowing (dysphagia) ², making it difficult to chew or swallow food properly.

How Dysarthria Is Diagnosed

A healthcare provider typically diagnoses dysarthria through a comprehensive assessment, which may involve:

  • Comprehensive case-history to identify the likely cause 
  • Tests such as MRIs, CT scans, or EEGs to identify neurological damage that could be causing the speech issues.
  • Physical and neurological exams to assess brain and nerve function
  • Speech-language Assessments by a speech pathologist to determine the severity, impacted nerves and muscles, and type of dysarthria ⁵.
Young girl and speech pathologist doing Dysarthria speech therapy exercises in front of a mirror

How Speech Therapy Helps with Dysarthria

Dysarthria, a motor speech disorder caused by damage to the nervous system, significantly affects a person’s ability to control the muscles involved in speech. This can lead to slurred speech, difficulty with voice pitch, volume, and articulation. Speech therapy, particularly through the guidance of a speech pathologist, is the primary treatment for managing dysarthria. Here’s how speech pathology helps:

  1. Strengthening Oral Muscles

A key element of speech therapy for dysarthria is strengthening the muscles used for speech. Dysarthria often leads to muscle weakness, especially in the tongue, lips, jaw, and face. These muscles play a crucial role in the articulation of sounds, clarity, and volume during speech ⁶.

Speech therapists use various exercises to strengthen these muscles, which can include:

  • Tongue exercises: For example, pushing the tongue against the roof of the mouth or moving it from side to side.
  • Lip exercises: Such as puckering and relaxing the lips to improve control over lip movements for clearer speech.
  • Jaw exercises: For improving the range of motion and strength necessary for more precise speech production.

By strengthening these muscles, individuals can improve articulation and overall speech clarity.

  1. Improving Breath Control

Effective speech also relies on good breathing technique. Dysarthria can impact the ability to control airflow, which impacts voice strength, pitch, and volume. Speech therapists work on breathing exercises to help patients produce stronger, more controlled speech ⁶. This includes:

  • Diaphragmatic breathing: Learning to breathe deeply from the diaphragm to support speech.
  • Controlled exhalation: Techniques for controlling airflow and sustaining speech without breath interruptions.
  • Breath support exercises: Aiding patients to use appropriate breath patterns for speaking clearly and with sufficient volume.

Improving breath control helps prevent speech from sounding breathy or weak, making it easier for others to understand.

  1. Enhancing Speech Clarity and Precision

One of the main goals of speech therapy is to improve speech intelligibility. The ability to speak clearly and be understood. For individuals with dysarthria, speech may be slurred, distorted, or too fast. Speech pathologists help patients adjust their speech patterns by:

  • Slowing down speech: Encouraging patients to speak slowly and pause between sentences to improve clarity ⁶.
  • Articulation drills: Focusing on articulation exercises that involve carefully pronouncing words, particularly challenging consonants and vowels ⁷.
  • Exaggerating speech sounds: In some cases, speech pathologists may encourage patients to over-enunciate words or sounds to strengthen the oral muscles and improve intelligibility ⁶.

These exercises help individuals speak more clearly, which enhances communication and reduces frustration for both the speaker and the listener.

  1. Addressing Speech Volume and Pitch

Dysarthria can cause speech to be either too quiet (hypophonia) or too loud (hyperphonia). A speech pathologist can help patients develop strategies to control their voice volume and pitch ⁸:

  • Pitch control exercises: Encouraging the patient to adjust their voice to produce a more natural-sounding tone.
  • Volume exercises: Teaching the patient how to project their voice at an appropriate volume for communication, without straining.
  • Pitch variation: Helping patients add variation in pitch to make speech sound less monotone and more expressive.

These techniques help individuals use their voices more effectively, improving both clarity and expressiveness.

  1. Non-speaking communication and assistive devices

For individuals with more severe forms of dysarthria, spoken communication may become difficult. In such cases, speech therapists can teach and implement alternative communication strategies:

  • Gestures and signs: Encouraging patients to use hand gestures, facial expressions, or basic signs (key word signs) to convey their message.
  • Writing and typing: Using written and typed communication as a supplement to speech when necessary.
  • Picture boards: In cases of severe dysarthria, speech therapists may introduce picture or letter boards to help patients convey basic ideas or emotions. 

Additionally, if speech remains difficult even with speech therapy, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices may be introduced ²,⁹. These devices allow individuals to type or select images that can then be spoken by the device, helping patients communicate effectively without relying solely on speech ².

  1. Supporting Social Interaction

Dysarthria can cause significant emotional and social difficulties, as individuals may feel frustrated by their inability to be understood. Speech therapists often provide support not only in improving speech but also in building communication confidence:

  • Training for family members and caregivers: Speech therapists teach loved ones how to communicate with someone with dysarthria by encouraging patience, asking yes/no questions, and focusing on nonverbal cues ⁹.
  • Communication strategies: Patients may learn how to manage conversations in a way that minimises frustration, such as ensuring they have the listener’s full attention or asking for clarification when needed.

By improving both speech and communication strategies, speech therapy helps individuals with dysarthria engage more confidently in conversations, reducing the emotional burden that comes with speech difficulties.

  1. Tailoring Treatment to Individual Needs

Speech therapy for dysarthria is highly individualised, as the condition can vary significantly from person to person ⁶. The speech therapy plan is tailored to the specific type and severity of dysarthria, as well as the individual’s goals. A speech pathologist works closely with the patient to identify the areas of difficulty and create a structured plan that targets those needs.

Speech therapists assess the type of dysarthria (e.g., spastic, ataxic, or hypokinetic) and select exercises accordingly. For example:

  • Spastic dysarthria may require exercises aimed at improving muscle relaxation and reducing strain in the vocal cords.
  • Hypokinetic dysarthria (commonly seen in Parkinson’s disease) may focus on improving speech speed and fluency, as well as volume.

  1. Ongoing Support and Maintenance

In addition to initial speech therapy, individuals with dysarthria benefit from ongoing speech therapy sessions to maintain progress. Speech therapists help patients stay consistent with exercises, assess improvements, and adjust treatment as needed. This ongoing support is vital for managing dysarthria, particularly if it is associated with a progressive condition like Parkinson’s disease or MND ³,⁷.

Speech therapy is an essential tool for individuals with dysarthria. By focusing on strengthening muscles, improving speech clarity, controlling volume and pitch, and providing alternative communication strategies, speech pathologists enable individuals to communicate more effectively. Whether through muscle exercises, breath control techniques, or assistive devices, speech therapy helps people with dysarthria regain confidence in their speech and communication to improve their quality of life.

References

  1. Duffy, J. R., & Josephs, K. A. (2022). Dysarthria. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592453/
  2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Dysarthria in adults. ASHA Practice Portal. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/dysarthria-in-adults
  3. Wenke, R., Theodoros, D., & Cornwell, P. (2010). Interventions for dysarthria due to stroke and other adult-acquired, non-progressive brain injury. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2010(7), CD002088. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002088.pub3
  4. Cleveland Clinic. (2023). Dysarthria (slurred speech): Symptoms, causes & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17653-dysarthria
  5. Palmer, R., Enderby, P., & Cunningham, S. (2018). Speech and language therapy for dysarthria due to non-progressive brain damage: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(24), 2872–2890. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1497714
  6. Miller, N., & Walshe, M. (2006). Methods of speech therapy treatment for stable dysarthria: A review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 28(19), 991–1002. https://doi.org/10.1080/14417040600970606
  7. Robson, H., Sage, K., & Lambon Ralph, M. A. (2020). A systematic review of group intervention for acquired dysarthria in adults. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(7), 931–944. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1859629
  8. Open Lines Speech and Communication. (2023). Insights into spastic dysarthria treatment approaches. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.openlines.com/blog/insights-into-spastic-dysarthria-treatment-approaches
  9. American Stroke Association. (n.d.). Communication and dysarthria. Retrieved September 30, 2025, from https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/effects-of-stroke/communication-and-aphasia/dysarthria