dysarthria
n. a motor speech disorder characterized by difficulty speaking coherently because of impairment in the central or peripheral nervous system. There are four main types usually described: dyskinetic, spastic, peripheral, and mixed. Dyskinetic dysarthria includes hypokinetic dysarthria, in which the rate and rhythm of speech are affected, and hyperkinetic dysarthria, in which articulation is poor due to problems controlling the rate and range of movement in ongoing speech. In spastic dysarthria, respiration is poor, intonation patterns are restricted, and spasticity in the vocal folds causes hoarseness. Peripheral dysarthria involves continual breathiness with audible inspiration, distortion of consonants, and often a need to speak in short phrases. Mixed dysarthria includes cymptoms of more than one of the other types of dysarthria andresults from tumors, degenerative diseases, trauma, or other
conditions that cause multiple neurological impairments. It is important to distinguish dysarthria from anarthria, which is the complete inability to speak. —dysarthric
adj.