Which term describes speech produced with weaknesses in the mouth, lips, or tongue muscles resulting in slurred or slow speech?

Which term describes speech produced with weaknesses in the mouth, lips, or tongue muscles resulting in slurred or slow speech?

• A. Dysarthria
• B. Apraxia of speech
• C. Aphasia
• D. Circumlocution

Answer: (A)

Dysarthria is a motor-speech disorder caused by weakness or incoordination of the muscles used to articulate—mouth, lips, tongue (and sometimes the larynx). This results in slurred, slow, or imprecise speech with reduced intelligibility, reflecting neuromuscular impairment rather than a language or planning problem. In contrast, apraxia of speech stems from difficulty programming the movements for speech despite normal muscle strength; aphasia involves impaired language processing and comprehension or expression; circumlocution is a compensatory talking strategy, not a motor deficit.

Dysarthria is a motor-speech disorder caused by weakness or incoordination of the muscles used to articulate—mouth, lips, tongue (and sometimes the larynx). This results in slurred, slow, or imprecise speech with reduced intelligibility, reflecting neuromuscular impairment rather than a language or planning problem. In contrast, apraxia of speech stems from difficulty programming the movements for speech despite normal muscle strength; aphasia involves impaired language processing and comprehension or expression; circumlocution is a compensatory talking strategy, not a motor deficit.