Are you experiencing very faint or barely audible speech with your MS?
This sounds like dysarthria, a common speech issue affecting about 40-50% of people with MS. It happens when lesions damage the parts of your brain and brain stem that control speech muscles, making your voice sound too quiet, slurred, or unclear.
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Are you experiencing very faint or barely audible speech with your MS?
This sounds like dysarthria, a common speech issue affecting about 40-50% of people with MS. It happens when lesions damage the parts of your brain and brain stem that control speech muscles, making your voice sound too quiet, slurred, or unclear.
The good news is that several strategies can help:
Work with a speech-language therapist who can teach you techniques like:
- Speaking slowly and deliberately
- Overexaggerating your words
- Practicing breath control exercises to support longer sentences
- Improving posture to help project your voice
Try these at-home tips:
- Think of yourself as "performing on stage" - this helps you naturally speak louder and slower
- Ensure good posture when speaking
- Make sure you have someone's full attention before talking
- Eliminate background noise like TV or radio
Have conversation partners help by:
- Facing you directly
- Reducing distractions
- Repeating back what they heard so you don't have to start over
Many members find their speech varies throughout the day - often worse when tired. A MyMSTeam member shared: "I have problems with speech at night when I'm really tired. In the morning, my speech is back to normal."
Talk to your neurologist about a referral to a speech-language pathologist who can assess your specific situation and create a personalized treatment plan.
December 6, 2025
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