2. Speech and Language
• Speech is defined as the process of organizing thoughts , producing
specific sounds that convey meaning to the listener.
• Speech is just a sound & sound has to be produced in a specific
manner & understanding of the sound that somebody tells also
ambits of language.
• So assessment of language has to be done with assessment of
speech.
• Whole assessment of mental status examination relays on speech.
3.
4. • To understand the pathology in speech disorders we first have to
understand the physiology of speech.
• Mainly there are two brain area associated with speech :
1. Wernicke’s area :
• Area no. 22
• At lateral aspects of temporal lobe , junction between temporal &
parietal lobe known as “Angular Gyrus”
• Associated with comprehension of speech
• Sends impulses to Broca’s area
5. 2. Broca’s area :
• Area No. 44,45
• Located at Inferior Frontal Gyrus
• Associated with speech production
• Send impulses to larynx
oBoth Wernicke’s area and Broca's area are associated with each
others by Arcuate fasciculus.
7. Disorders of Speech
• Organic Disorders
• Further divided into two parts
1. Central :
o Brain damage due to Stroke ,
Tumour , Trauma , Degenerative
Disorders like Dementia , infection
2. Peripheral :
oDamage to vocal cords OR any
pathology around voice production
area like Cancer , infection or
surgery
• Functional Disorders
Stammering / Stuttering
Mutism
Vorbeireden
Neologism
Schizophasia
8. Central Organic Speech Disorders
• Includes Aphasias
• Types of Aphasia :
1. Receptive Aphasia
2. Intermediate Aphasia
3. Expressive Aphasia
9. Receptive Aphasia
• 3 types
1. Pure word deafness
2. Pure word blindness
3. Visual asymbolia
10. 1. Pure Word Deafness
• Also known as subcortical auditory aphasia
• Lesion : Dominant temporal lobe
• Spontaneous Speech Present
• Speak , read , write fluently and correctly with comprehension
• Hearing is unimpaired , Hears words as sound but can’t recognize meaning
even though he knows that they are words.
• Form of agnosia(lack of recognition) for spoken words
11. 2. Pure Word Blindness
• Also known as agnosic alexia without dysgraphia
• Lesion : Left visual cortex and the corpus callosum
• Speak normally , understand spoken words & write spontaneously
• Can’t read with understanding (alexia)
• More difficulty in printed than hand written script
• Patient also suffer from right homonymous hemianopia and inability to
name colours even though they can be perceived.
12. 3. Visual Asymbolia
• Aka Cortical visual aphasia
• Disorganisation of visual word schemas, so words cannot recognized &
motor word cannot be activated
• Lesion : Angular and Supramarginal Gyri
• Able to understand words or sentence but Difficulty in read & write
• Often associated with Acalculia , Spatial disorientation , Visual agnosia ,
Nominal aphasia & right homonymous hemianopia
13. Intermediate Aphasia
1. Nominal Aphasia
• Unable to produce name and sound at will
• Lesion : Diffuse brain damage or damage to dominant temporoparietal
region
• Patient describe the object & its function , recognize name when presented
• E.g. patient describe watch as a clock vessel
• Speech is flat , structure of sentence is correct & understanding unimpaired
14. Intermediate Aphasia
2. Central or Conduction Aphasia
• Lesion : Arcuate fibre
• Loss of connection between Wernicke’s and Broca’s area
• Patient cannot repeat the message although he can speak or write
• If he is questioned about message, he is able to give ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers
correctly
• Marked errors of grammars and syntax
15. Expressive Aphasia
1. Cortical Motor Area
• Also known as Broca’s aphasia / Verbal aphasia
• Lesion : Broca’s area in 3rd frontal gyrus
• Disturbance to the process of selecting words , constructing sentences &
expressing them
• Patient understand what is said to them and knows what they want to say
but cannot find the right words
16. • Words are mispronounced , telegram style speech
• Gesture used to replace verbal communication
2. Pure word Dumbness
• Unable to speak spontaneously, to repeat words & to read aloud
• Can write spontaneously & copy
• Lesion : Beneath region of insula
17.
18. Functional Disorders of Speech
1. Stammering / Stuttering
• Normal flow of speech is interrupted by pauses or by repetition of fragments of
words
• Begins at age of 4 and more common in boys than girls
• Improves with time & only become noticeable when person is anxious
• Grimacing and tic-like movement of body are associated with stammer
• Occasionally stammering occurs during severe adolescent crisis or at onset of
acute schizophrenia
19. 2. Mutism – Complete loss of speech
oElective Mutism :
• Patient decide not to speak to certain person
• E .g . Child not speak in school but speak well with parents
oHysterical Mutism (Dissociative disorder) :
• Loss of speech because of extreme conflict in mind
20. Mutism
oDepressive Mutism :
• In severe depression Patient’s thought process completely
stops/retarded not able to produce sound
oCatatonic Mutism :
• Mutism is almost always present in catatonic stupor but it may also
occur in non-stuperose catatonic individual as a mannerism
21. 3. Vorbeireden
• Talking past the point or approximate answer
• Content of the patient’s replies to questions shows that they
understand what has been asked but have responded by talking
about an associated topic
• E.g. if asked “what is the color of grass?” , the patient may reply
“white” & if then asked “what is the color of snow?” , the patient may
reply “Green”.
22. • Occurs in hysterical pseudodementia when psychiatric symptoms are
‘unconsciously’ being presented for some advantage
• Approximate answer may be a feature od ganser syndrome
• Also found in acute schizophrenia mostly with hebephrenic subtype
• Individual in catatonic state also talk past the point, particularly when
asked personal questions that they find painful , such as the length of
their stay in hospital
23. 4. Neologism
• New words that are constructed by the patient or ordinary words that are
used in a new way.
• seen in schizophrenia
• Some patient with motor aphasia use the wrong word, invent new words
or distort phonetic structure of words that usually known as paraphasia.
• Neologism in patient with catatonia known as Mannerism or stereotypies.
24. • Neologism may be the obvious result of derailment; for example a
patient used the word ‘relativity’ instead of word ‘relationship’
• Technical Neologism : new word to describe an experience that is
completely outside the realms of normal.
• Hallucinatory voices seem to play a great part in formation of
neologism.
• Voices may use neologism or this may lead patient to use them as
well.
25. 5. Schizophasia
• Also known as Speech Confusion or Word Salad or Formal thought
Disorder
• Disorganized speech seen in schizophrenia
26. Speech Disturbances
1. Aphonia & Dysphonia
• Aphonia : loss of ability to vocalize , patient talks in whisper
• Dysphonia : impairment with hoarseness but without complete loss of
function
• Occurs with paralysis of 9th cranial nerve OR with disease of vocal cord
• Aphonia without organic disease = Dissociative aphonia , common among
ENT patients
27. 2. Dysarthria
• Disorder of articulation by lesion of brainstem such as bulbar &
pseudobulbar palsy
• Also occurred with structure or muscular disorder of mouth, pharynx,
larynx and thorax
• Idiosyncratic disorders of articulation are sometimes seen in
schizophrenia and also with personality disorders consciously
produced
28. 3. Logoclonia
• Spastic repetition of syllables occurs with parkinsonism
• Patient may stuck using particular word
4. Echolalia
• Patient repeats words or sentences that are spoken to him or in his
presence
• No understanding of meaning of words
• Demonstrated in excited schizophrenia states , with mental retardation &
with organic states like dementia
29. Assessment of Speech
• Should be done in Mother Tongue
• By History & Collecting information
• By observation , By interviewing , By cognitive test
30. For Speech Sample
• We have to ask open ended questions
• Like 1. Asking about patient’s festival / friends / place / city / work /
school / college
• 2. Asking about climate change / politics / media / education system
• If patient fails to answer this we can ask : how do you prepare coffee?
31. Speech in MSE
• Speech has to be elicited by following headings :
oCoherence : By seeing that speech is Logical, Consistent &
understandable
oRelevant : By seeing answer of the questions we ask
oSpontaneity : By seeing how spontaneous the speech is
oAmount of speech : By seeing volume of speech
32. oTone : By seeing loudness of patient voice
oTempo : By seeing flow of speech
oReaction Time : By seeing time to take response of questions
oProsody : By seeing emotional intonations of speech
oIf all components normal : C / R / T / T / RT / V is normal