What is it?

Slurred speech refers to the poor pronunciation of words, mumbling, or change in speed or rhythm during talking.
The cause for slurred speech is damage to the brain areas or to the muscles that control the pronunciation organs - the lips, cheeks, tongue, palate and jaw. The damage is caused as a result of a neurological or muscular disorder, such as stroke, brain tumor, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known as "ALS''), certain medications, and more. In most cases, dysarthria does not go away, but there are ways to regain speech abilities to some extent.
Diagnosis of the cause of dysarthria includes a physical and neurological examination of the neurological and muscular functions. In addition, one or more of the following tests may be needed:
- blood and urine tests.
- Brain imaging tests (such as MRI or CT)
- Spinal fluid examination (lumbar puncture)
- nerve and muscle studies, like EEG (electroencephalography) or EMG (electromyography)
Treatment of dysarthria consists of two components:
- Treatment of the underlying disease responsible for dysarthria
- Treatment of speech difficulties, using speech therapy. This treatment focuses on strengthening and improving control of the pronunciation
organs, and improving speech intelligibility and sound quality.