In 1969, Darley, Aronson, and Brown published two articles establishing differential diagnosis of dysarthria. However, over fifty years later many speech-language pathologists do not feel comfortable or do not find the significance in subtyping. So, why is it important to study motor speech disorders? In 1994, Dr. Joseph Duffy answered this question: (1) they occur frequently; (2) prevalence is likely to increase; (3) it is the first and sometimes only evidence of neurologic disease; (4) accurate diagnosis may lead to successful medical management; (5) and it helps to understand the nervous system’s organization of speech. This presentation will review the neuromuscular bases of motor speech disorders, identify the salient features of each disorder, and apply this with multiple case studies. A comprehensive review of assessment from chart review, clinical interview, cranial nerve exam, and a sub-system approach to speech evaluation will be described. This will include specific tasks to identify strengths and weaknesses in respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody. A variety of informal and standardized measurements, including functional communication outcomes will be reviewed. Documentation examples from multiple institutions will be provided.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the importance of differential diagnosis of motor speech disorders
Recognize the neuromuscular basis and salient features of each motor speech disorder to assist in differential diagnosis using the four-level model
Identify components of a comprehensive evaluation of motor speech disorders that includes informal and standardized assessments, as well as functional outcome measures