Neurological disorders and speech impediments

There is no denying the fact that the central or peripheral nervous system essentially acts as the human body’s electrical wiring. Any kind of discrepancy in any part of the circuit hampers the functioning of the brain and leaves the person disoriented. It marks the onset of a number of neurological disorders that can even impact a patient’s communication in multiple ways.

A panel of specialised neurologists from Mayom Hospital explains that progressive neurological disorders weaken or damagethe nerves that control the functioning of facial muscles, vocal cords, larynx, jaws, or teeth. Such disturbances result in speech abnormalities, language defects, and cognitive disabilities.

Cognition related: When the affected individual faces difficulties with retaining information (memory).The person usually fails to be attentive and lacks concentration.

Language related: When there is deterioration in the ability to understand and subsequently express through language.

Speech related: When the patient is unable to speak (loss of speech). It might also include articulation difficulties,slurred speech, dysphonia, etc.

Many progressive and degenerative neurological disorders hamper a person’s communication and lead to different types of speech impediments. Some of the most common ones include:

Parkinson’s Disease:

A movement disorder, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) leads to stiff muscles, tremors, and walking difficulties. It also impacts the shoulder, neck and face muscles. The patient eventually loses control on facial expressions and the speech becomes slurred or unclear.

Multiple Sclerosis:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes inflammation in the central nervous system, which affects the patient’s ability to coordinate and balance. It also impairs memory, judgement, concentration, attention, intellect and speech.

Motor Neurone Disease:      

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) usually weakens the muscles of the face and throat, leading to difficulties speaking, chewing or swallowing. It some cases, it may also cause articulation problems, hoarseness, or fluctuations in voice’s volume, pitch and rate.

Alzheimer’s Disease:

An individual affected by Alzheimer’s disease usually faces difficulties related to both language and cognition. The patient’s ability to handle plan, execute or memorise things is severally hampered. The progression of the disease further causes problems with language, calculation, and visuo-spacial skills.

Huntington’s Disease

Patients with Huntington’s disease face a lot of communication and cognitive difficulties. Imprecise sound articulation, hypernasality, aphasia, and dysarthria are some of the common speech problems associated with this disorder.

So if you or any of your loved one is facing difficulties with speech or communication because of a neurological impairment, it is advisable to take professional help from skilled medics. You could get in touch with an experienced neurologist or a speech and language therapy expert for right diagnosis, treatment and management of such disorders.

You could also book an appointment with our experts from the department of Neurosciences at Mayom Hospital. Visit http://mayomhospital.com/ for details.