Fact · Accessibility and health
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association says dysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speech work, which can make speech slow, slurred or hard to understand.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Dysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way your muscles work.”
Dysarthria, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2026, What Is Dysarthria?.
Open the original- What it measures
- The same page says that speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand, that dysarthria can be mild or severe, and that it can affect children and adults. It also notes that some people with dysarthria have other speech or language challenges, such as apraxia of speech or aphasia.
- What it does not show
- This is a plain-language consumer overview from a professional association, not a clinical guideline. It does not give prevalence figures or describe treatment outcomes, and a speech-language pathologist makes the individual diagnosis.