Dysglossia is a speech disorder. It is caused by damage to the speech organs and is usually manifested by slurred speech and a slower pace of speech in the patient. Dysglossia is treatable by logopedic measures.
What is dysglossia?
The term dysglossia comes from the Greek (“glossa” – the language). Dysglossia refers to an articulation disorder, caused by damage or malformation of the articulation organs: lips, tongue, jaw, palate, teeth and vocal folds. In general, the patient suffering from dysglossia has difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. Speech often appears severely slowed, washed out, and unclear in pronunciation. Other symptoms of dysglossia may include sensory disturbances in the area of the lips, tongue or palate. Paralysis of the facial muscles may also occur, as well as frequent hoarseness, nasal drip or compulsive throat clearing. Since the speech organs are also responsible for the swallowing process, the dysglossia patient may also suffer from significant swallowing disorders, called dysphagia. Here, there may be feelings of pressure or pain during swallowing, sometimes retching, and rarely complete inability to swallow.
Causes
There are many possible causes of dysglossia. Trauma often occurs as a result of accidents to the neck and face, resulting in injuries to the organs of articulation. It is also possible for the speech organs to be affected as a result of certain operations. Tumors in the articulation area or certain muscle diseases can also affect the speech apparatus and thus lead to dysglossia. Another reason may be dental or jaw malocclusion, such as cleft lip and palate (formerly called “harelip”), as well as damage to certain cranial nerves connected to the corresponding organs of articulation, which may lead to paralysis of the same.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
In this disorder, affected individuals suffer from a speech disorder. This results in damaged speech organs, so that sounds cannot be pronounced correctly. This also leads to difficulties in communication, so that the patient’s everyday life is considerably restricted and the quality of life is reduced. Patients often pronounce words unclearly or are unable to articulate correctly. Dysglossia can also lead to disturbances in sensitivity in the oral cavity, so that the tongue or pharynx are numb or tastes cannot be perceived correctly. The manifestations of dysglossia can be very different. The entire musculature in the mouth is paralyzed due to the disease, so that most affected persons also suffer from discomfort when taking food and liquids. Therefore, dehydration or weight loss may also occur. In children, dysglossia also leads to delayed development and, in some cases, bullying or teasing if the children cannot pronounce words correctly. Furthermore, many patients also suffer from depression and other psychological upsets due to the condition. Life expectancy is usually not negatively affected by the disease.
Diagnosis
Precisely because of the large number of possible causes of dysglossia, a detailed examination is indicated. Usually the anamnesis is carried out by an ear, nose and throat specialist or by a specialist in voice disorders, a so-called phoniatrist. Here, it is first determined which sounds are affected by the pronunciation disorder and to what extent the speech organs are impaired. A distinction is generally made between labial dysglossia (affecting the lips), dental dysglossia (affecting the teeth), lingual dysglossia (affecting the tongue) and finally palatal dysglossia (affecting the palate). Once the symptoms have been isolated and defined, the next step is to determine the treatment goal. This is followed by the creation of a treatment plan and referral to a speech therapist.
When should you see a doctor?
In cases of congenital dysglossia, the child’s parents should talk to the pediatrician or a speech therapist early on. The latter can determine the symptoms and work with the parents to set a treatment goal. If speech problems occur after an accident or surgery, it is best to inform the attending physician.Here too, the earlier the symptoms are detected, the better the chances of recovery. So anyone who notices that they can no longer pronounce certain sounds correctly should inform their doctor immediately. Even mild speech disorders must be clarified before they worsen. After all, the symptoms are often based on a serious condition that will increase if left untreated and may cause further complications. In the case of accompanying symptoms such as concentration difficulties or tongue pain, the family doctor should be consulted in any case. Further contacts are the ear, nose and throat specialist or a specialist for voice disorders, a so-called phoniatrist. If the speech disorder has caused psychological discomfort, a therapist can also be consulted.
Treatment and therapy
Dysglossia is usually treated by logopedic measures. Depending on the severity of the case, this can be done on an outpatient or inpatient basis. Because dysglossia is a disorder of the ability to communicate that can greatly affect daily life and thus often leads to problems with self-confidence, therapy is usually quite time-consuming. There are a number of possible therapy approaches that the patient, guided by the speech therapist, must learn and implement through frequent training and practice if he wants to achieve success. Relaxation plays an important role here. Thus, the overall body tension is harmonized by exercises, the inner and outer body tension is brought back into harmony – e.g. by circling, swinging, breathing, creating sounds. Breath rhythmic movements should help to harmonize speech breathing and speech itself. If sensory dysfunction is present, work is done on tongue position and sensation. The sensory perception of the dysglossia patient is trained through certain exercises. Further training contents are for example resistance exercises, sound function work, mouth training, tongue training, lip training and a special swallowing therapy. By working with breath, speech and voice teachers, the patient’s complex speech apparatus is addressed as a whole. Finally, it is especially important to transfer the learned exercises into daily colloquial speech to bring about an increase in self-confidence and thus a progressive relaxation of the patient.
Outlook and prognosis
Dysglossia has a good chance of cure. In a logopedic therapy, training and exercises are performed with the patient, which lead to an alleviation of the symptoms. After a few weeks or months, the first successes normally occur, which are of a permanent nature. In the further course, the child catches up in speech ability or speech speed until he or she is at a comparable performance level with peers. In therapy, homework is given to allow children to practice daily based on their progress. The additional use of relaxation techniques is helpful. These can also be done independently outside of therapy. They reduce inner tension and pent-up stress so that mental balance is achieved. This is necessary to achieve relaxation of breathing and thus improvement of symptoms. Exercises such as tinting or chanting mantras, as well as other vocalizing methods, help to achieve a favorable prognosis. The patient, in the company of others or alone, can use these techniques and thus have a positive influence on the success of the treatment. To increase self-confidence, it is helpful to give the child a sense of achievement in a playful way. The better the recreational activities are adapted to the promotion of the child’s needs, the shorter the healing process.
Prevention
Preventive measures to prevent dysglossia can only be taken in the area of acquired malocclusions – such as using a soother for too long in babies or thumb sucking.
Follow-up
With dysglossia, the patient has very limited options for aftercare. In this regard, the affected person is primarily dependent on direct treatment of this condition so that it does not lead to further complications or to other complaints that would slow down the healing process. For this reason, the main focus in the treatment of dysglossia is the early detection of the disease. In most cases, dysglossia is treated through a variety of therapies, with sufferers usually relying on relaxation therapy.Many of the exercises from these therapies can also be performed at home, so that the healing process is accelerated somewhat. The affected person is often also dependent on the support of their own family and friends. They must understand the disease and help the patient with the therapy. Frequently, intensive discussions with the patient are also necessary in order to prevent possible psychological upsets or depression. As a rule, this does not allow the affected person to cure himself. Contact with other patients of dysglossia can also be useful in this process, as it is not uncommon for this to lead to an exchange of information, which can make everyday life easier.
What you can do yourself
Patients suffering from dysglossia are unable to pronounce certain sounds correctly and are also, due to difficulties in swallowing, hindered in the intake of food. The problems with speech are treated after a thorough medical examination, usually by a speech therapist. Here, the patient’s cooperation is required. Especially in more severe forms of dysglossia, when the patient also suffers from sensory disturbances in the area of the lips, tongue or palate, a complex therapy becomes necessary. The often extensive training plan includes resistance exercises and phonetic exercises, tongue and palate training, and numerous different breathing exercises to harmonize speech. The exercises usually need to be repeated frequently and over a long period of time. In addition, it is important that the patient implements what he or she has learned in everyday life. This requires a lot of patience and a high frustration threshold on the part of the affected person. It usually takes a considerable amount of time before the progress already achieved in training with the speech therapist can also be realized in dialogues in everyday life. The most important contribution to self-help is therefore not to be discouraged by the slow progress of the therapy and to continue practicing consistently. In the course of time, very often not only the problems with speech improve, but also the swallowing difficulties, which allows normal food intake again.
