The speech therapy for dysarthria in patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (clinical case)

Recently, the national speech therapy has increased interest in the problems of оral motor disorders. E.N.Vinarskaya, A.M.Pulatov’s fundamental monograph (1989) remains the only Russian-language research of semiotics of motor speech aspects disorders. These ones are described in point of view of neurology and linguistics. Subsequently, neurophonetic study of dysarthria was not continued, because the researchers chose aphasia as an object of analysis. There are very few studies on the rehabilitation education of adults with these disorders. The article is devoted to the analysis of speech therapist’s work with a patient suffering from the severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She had virtually no speech. The importance of new tendency of Russian speech therapy is shown on the example of this clinical case. This is a management of patients with neurodegenerative disease, including palliative profile. The key points of speech therapy are described such as alternation of speech loads, selective application of massage techniques, breathing and articulation exercises, psychotherapeutic influence elements. The main results were improve pronunciation of some consonant groups, swallowing and phonation from the speech, and restoration of minimal communication capabilities from the social functioning.

speech therapy, dysarthria, neurorehabilitation, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis