Dysarthria Versus Aphasia

[gbabyRN]

can someone please help me differentiate dysarthria from aphasia?! is dysarthria the same thing as garbled speech wherein the pt has a difficulty pronouncing words? i would appreciate any input. thanks a lot!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

dysarthria: difficulty speaking.....after a stroke or other brain injury, the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all.

aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to language centers of the brain; is the inability to produce and/or comprehend language, due to brain damage

[rehab nurse]

yes, you are correct in that dysarthria is difficulty speaking, where their speech is very difficult to understand, but present nontheless. Very common after CVA, etc. Aphasia is the inability to produce or comprehend speech. There is also Expressive Aphasia, in which pt's have difficulty finding the right words, and their speech is broken, halted, and difficult. I believe Expressive Aphasia is also called Broca's aphasia. Hope I helped some. Good luck to you :)

[all4schwa]

aphasia would be if you cant find the appropriate words to express your thought, dysarthria would be if when those words came out they were garbled and unintelligable.

receptive aphasia is the words that are being spoken to you aren't computing, but another mode of communication (body language, gesturing)might be able to get the point across.

a patient might not be able to tell you their name, not because they don't know it, just because their brain isn't connecting to the right words to use. however, some patients, give them a pen and they can still sign their name.

[gbabyRN]

thank you for taking the time to reply =)

[Beentheredonethat]

All the other answers are excellent. When I teach basic neurology to nursing staff this is always a question. When we speak we articulate words. When the mouth is opened or closed it mechanically articulates a hinge. (the upper and lower jaw) Muscles and coordinated movement are required to form sounds into comprehensible language. Vowels are formed by manipulation of the vocal cords and all other language sounds are formed by manipulation of the mouth, tongue and lips. That is why we ask patients to repeat words that have hard consonants. It helps to not only prove dsysarthria but it also indicates which nerve paths are affected. Once you have the concept of articulation down the rest of the answer goes back to the brain centers for communication. You either can communicate or you can understand communication, hopefuly both. In order to do so you have to phase between the two centers. If you can't you have aphasia. Which area is front and which is back. Brocca, latin for mouth, is situated closer to the mouth. Not so hard.