Book: The Phonetics of Dysarthria
Chapter: 1. Introduction to Dysarthria
Blurb:
Dysarthrias are motor speech disorders typically associated with problems with the strength, speed, range, steadiness, tone or accuracy of the musculature used to produce speech, that result from damage of the central or peripheral nervous system (Duffy, 2013). Dysarthrias may compromise only a single component of the vocal tract, or may have a global effect on the speech production systems and affect multiple aspects of spoken language. Usually the effects of dysarthria are global rather than focal (Kent, 2000). In any case, the resulting speech disorder can compromise to a lesser or greater extend the individual's ability to communicate and participate socially, and it is usually responsive to behavioral intervention.