Motor speech disorders associated with neurogenic disorders include aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia, and cognitive-communication impairments. These are all different types of communication problems that can be caused by neurological damage or disease. They can affect the way someone speaks and understand language.
Aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia, and cognitive-communication impairments are discussed in detail below.
Aphasia
Aphasia is an impairmentA loss or abnormality of a body structure or function, whether physical, mental, or sensory, often a... of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury. It can be caused by stroke, head trauma, brain tumorA mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain, potentially causing various neurological symptoms., infection (viral encephalitis), epilepsyA neurological disorder marked by recurring seizures. surgery, and other brain conditions. The most common cause of aphasia in adults is stroke.
Dysarthria
Dysarthria is an impairment in articulation caused by neurologic disease that impairs control over muscles used in speech production. It can cause slurred speech with reduced intelligibility, i.e., drunken sailor voice. It is caused by damage to the nervous system or brain.
Apraxia
Apraxia refers to impaired ability to carry out purposeful learned movements despite intact motor function; examples are limb kinetic apraxias such as facial-oral apraxia (inability to coordinate mouth movements) and ideomotor limb apraxias such as dressing apraxia (inability to coordinate hand movements while dressing)
Cognitive-Communication Impairments
Cognitive-communication impairments refer to problems with pragmatic aspects of communication rather than linguistic ones—for example, difficulty initiating conversations or following rules for conversation turn-taking. These deficits frequently occur in patients with frontotemporal dementiaA group of conditions characterized by impairment of at least two brain functions, such as memory an....
The most common cause of acquired neurogenic communication disorders is stroke. Other causes include
- Brain tumors
- Head injuries
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)A disease where the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves, causing communication p...
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALSAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the ...)
- Parkinson’s disease (PD)
- Huntington’s disease (HD)
- Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
Some people may also have these conditions at birth if they have certain genetic mutations, such as Down syndromeA genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome 21, leading to developmental and intellectual delay... or fragile X syndromeA genetic condition causing intellectual disability, behavioral and learning challenges, and various....
To learn more about motor speech disorders and their causes, visit Disability Help’s blog section.
