At-Home Speech Therapy exercises and strategies to use when you have slurred speech, medically known as “dysarthria.”

According to The American Speech & Hearing Association and Joseph R. Duffy, author of  Motor Speech Disorders: Substrates, Differential Diagnosis, and Management, dysarthria refers to a group of neurogenic speech disorders characterized by abnormalities in the strength, speed, range, steadiness, tone, or accuracy of movements required for breathing, phonatory, resonatory, articulatory, or prosodic aspects of speech production.

These abnormalities can be caused from weakness resulting from Parkinson’s Disease, paralysis after a stroke, or after trauma such as a brain injury or post-operative trauma. Typically, your doctor will refer you to a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) who can evaluate the extent of your dysarthria and create a treatment plan to address the deficits identified during your evaluation.

If you need a place to begin, consider the following at-home speech therapy recommendations for addressing dysarthria and other speech-related concerns, such as slurred speech resulting from a stroke or other neurological events.

At-home speech therapy exercises to improve the muscles of your mouth:

• Stick your tongue straight out for two seconds and then bring it in for two seconds. Focus your energy on making this a coordinated movement.
• Stick your tongue out to one side of your mouth touching the lips and hold for two seconds. Move your tongue to the other side and hold for two seconds. Continue this movement working to keep the motion coordinated.
• Say Cheese! Really, really big! Hold this smile for five seconds in front of a mirror so you can work on making both sides of your smile even.
• Blow some bubbles! Purse your lips together as if you were going to blow some bubbles. Hold for five seconds.

Also, check out TactusTherapy.com, a great resource for finding apps and digital tools for further at-home practice.

At-home speech therapy strategies to improve communication with slurred speech:

• Make eye contact with whom you are speaking. This gives them the chance to watch your lips and better understand what you are trying to relay.
• Speak slowly, loudly, and attempt to enunciate each word. Always take a breath when you need one to support your vocal quality.
• Communicate using silly or serious facial expressions, through drawing, and using hand movements, including pointing to help get your message across.
• Swallow before speaking to reduce saliva, and/or clear your throat if needed to help allow for a clearer sounding voice.

Finally, take it easy on yourself and do your best to remain calm and relax during this frustrating time. If helpful, avoid important conversations when you’re tired or feeling emotional.

We can help!

Our team of speech therapists can help with additional at-home speech therapy exercises, education, symptom assessment and help you explore in-depth treatment plans. Call Trio Rehab for more information!

Karen Ross, SLP
Trio Rehabilitation & Wellness Solutions
Boerne, Texas