If someone with MS has speech concerns, they should be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist (SLP), says Brown.
The evaluation usually includes:
- A review of your medical history and a discussion of your symptoms and concerns
- An assessment of the strength, coordination, and movement of the muscles used for speaking
- Observing how clearly you can produce sounds, words, sentences, and conversation
- A conversation about your goals, and the therapist’s recommendations for therapy or treatment
Work With a Speech-Language Pathologist
The goal of speech therapy is to help people feel more confident and effective in their communication, says Brown. It can also help loved ones and friends learn how to handle the speech problem.
An SLP can help with MS speech issues by teaching you exercises to strengthen and improve the function of the muscles involved in breathing and speaking. They can also help you with techniques to improve speech clarity, such as slowing your speech down, overarticulating sounds, and making shorter units of communication paired with pauses.
For people who have trouble with finding the “right” words, cognitive-linguistic compensatory strategies can help with skills like word retrieval.
Speech therapy often starts with regular sessions over a period of weeks or months, depending on the person’s goals and needs, says Brown. “After that, there may be a break in therapy while the individual continues to work on the home program created by their therapist to help maintain their abilities. It’s common for people to return to therapy from time to time for a check-in or a ‘tune-up,’ if they feel they need more support,” she says.
Self-Help
“Some people have MS types that involve flare-ups or ‘attacks’ followed by periods of remission or partial to full recovery,” says Brown. As with other symptoms, some speech changes are impacted by disease activity, especially fatigue.
For these individuals, speech difficulties may appear during an attack and then improve or stabilize afterward — especially with support from speech therapy,” says Brown.
The skills and techniques taught in speech therapy can be practiced at home, and include the following.
Exercise for your speech muscles: The exercises you learn in therapy can be practiced daily to improve function and strengthen the muscles that support breath control and speech production.
Speech techniques: When speaking, practice slowing down your speech with the skills learned in therapy. You can also get help with your phrasing, adding pauses to help make your speech clearer, and overarticulate words to make your speech more understandable.
Self-monitor your speech patterns: Some therapists may suggest using a recording device to capture how you speak. Listen to yourself carefully to identify and correct some of your speech issues.
Assistive Devices
There are many tools and apps that can help people with MS communicate more easily, especially if speaking becomes difficult, says Brown.
Examples of assistive devices for speech issues in MS include:
- Text-to-speech apps and LCD tablets if speech is difficult
- Specialized tablets or computers designed to make it easier to create messages, even if hand movement is limited
- Voice amplifiers to help make speech louder and clearer
“A speech therapist can identify the tools that best match each person’s needs and goals,” Brown says.
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