Speech-Motor Compromise

At Houston Methodist, diagnosis starts with a comprehensive physical exam by our speech-language experts. We’ll review your medical history and symptoms and perform a speech evaluation. Our goal is to get to know you and understand the underlying cause of your symptoms. 

Symptoms can vary and may come and go, depending on your condition. Patients often report symptoms, such as:  

• Slow speech that may be slurred or hard to understand 
• Difficulty putting syllables together in the right order to make words 
• Trouble saying long words 
• Repeated attempts to pronounce words  
• Omission of consonants at the beginning or end of words  
• Unusual pronunciations  
• Dependence on nonverbal communication, such as touch, body language, gestures or facial expressions

We may recommend advanced testing and imaging to help get to the cause of your symptoms and rule out other conditions. For example, difficulties understanding language may indicate something other than a speech-motor condition. Your neurologist may order: 

• Blood and urine tests to check for infection or inflammation 
• Biopsy, if a brain tumor is suspected 
• Brain and nerve studies, such as EEG, EMG or nerve-conduction tests 
• CT scan or MRI of your brain, head and neck 
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)  
• Neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive function 

Depending on your symptoms, you may be diagnosed with one of two main types of speech-motor conditions:

• Apraxia, which affects areas of the brain that control movements needed for speech. In adults, apraxia can be caused by head trauma, stroke or a brain tumor. In many cases, symptoms resolve when the underlying condition is treated. In children, the condition is usually present a birth and accompanies other health issues.  
• Dysarthria, which involves weakness of or difficulty controlling the muscles used for speaking. Speech may be slow or slurred and difficult to understand. Dysarthria can be caused by certain medications, head injury, stroke or by a chronic neurological condition, such as Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).