Overview

Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) may evaluate you to determine how severe your dysarthria is. They’ll check your ability to coordinate your breathing, voice and the quality of your voice. And they’ll check your ability to move your lips, tongue and face.

They may ask you to:

  • Stick out your tongue.
  • Smile, pucker or lick your lips.
  • Count or say the alphabet out loud.
  • Read a paragraph.
  • Repeat sounds, words and sentences, and talk in conversation.

What tests might I need to diagnose dysarthria?

Other tests may include:

  • MRI or CT scans of your brain, head and neck to check for abnormalities that may affect your speech.
  • Electroencephalogram (EEG) to check for abnormalities in your brain activity related to dysarthria.
  • Electromyographyto test the electrical function of your muscles and nerves.
  • Blood or urine tests to see if an infection or inflammation is causing speech issues.
  • Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to see if an infection or tumor is causing dysarthria.

Your healthcare provider may perform a modified barium swallow study or videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) to test for problems with swallowing, which sometimes occur with dysarthria.

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