Response to the YouTube Video
The video shows that the patient had a stroke (Dysarthria 1). This stroke must have affected several cranial nerves in the brain that control the face and the tongue. Damage in the hemispheres can result in dysarthria. This condition occurs when the brain parts controlling most of the muscles involved in speech are damaged. The symptoms for Rules 1, 2, and 10 can therefore be applied to the targeted patient.
Synopsis of 10 Rules
- Rule One: Cortical Lesion: Does apply to the patient because she has aparaxia and contra-lateral weakness in her face. The presence of a dominant hemisphere lesion causes aparaxia.
- Rule Two: Sub-cortical Lesion: Can be applied to the individual because she experiences weakness in her face. This happens without the loss of her mental functions.
- Rule Three: Vascular System Disorder: Does not apply because no signs of sensory impairment, homonymous hemianopsia, or contra-lateral paralysis.
- Rule Four: Central Gray Matter Spinal Lesion: Does not apply because the patient did not complain of any temperature sensation or bilateral loss of pain in her upper limp.
- Rule Five: Visual Pathway Lesion: Cannot apply to the patient because she does not have impaired ocular movements or visual capabilities.
- Rule Six: Complete Spinal Cord Transection: Cannot apply to the patient since her spinal cord does not have any lesion.
- Rule Seven: Spinal Hemi-section Lesion: Does not apply because only her brainstem was affected. Her spinal cord was not affected.
The strokes also could not have resulted in a Spinal Hemi-section lesion.
- Rule Eight: Peripheral or Central Lesion: Does not apply because the patient does not have any sign of paralysis.
- Rule Nine: Upper or Lower Motor Neuron Lesion: Can be applied to the patient because she experiences muscle atrophy and reduces reflexes. These aspects can imply a lower-motor neuron laceration.
- Rule Ten: Brainstem Lesion: Can be applied to the patient because she experiences sensory losses on her right side. She also has chewing difficulties and dysarthria.
The occurrence of a stroke results in a brainstorm lesion.
Diagnosis
The patient had two strokes in one of the hemispheres. These strokes must have resulted in sub-cortical or cortical lesions. Consequently, the targeted patient exhibited muscle weakness on the right side of her body. This is the case because she mostly uses her left side to chew (Dysarthria 1).
Reasoning Behind the Above Diagnosis
The patient’s facial muscles indicate that she had a stroke in one of the hemispheres (Tomik and Guiloff 7). Specifically, the stroke must have affected her brainstem. Her motor skills appear to be underdeveloped. The patient also has impaired articulators since she is “unable to move her tongue against pressure to the right” (Dysarthria 1).
The perceptual characteristics of the patient’s speech disorder included impaired articulatory mechanisms. Her mandible was strong but her tongue appeared weak (Tomik and Guiloff 5). The tongue was weaker when pushing against the provided spoon. The patient also portrayed reduced movement of jaws and lips. Her voice was characterized by nasality and intonation. These aspects made most of her words intelligible.
Response to Journals
Journal 1
I totally agree with your post because it uses the 10 rules effectively. The ideas were very informative and gave a detailed diagnosis of the patient’s condition. The thorough discussion also outlines the major signs of dysarthria. Your information also describes how stroke affects a person’s motor skills (Tomik and Guiloff 6). I have found the journal article meaningful because it explains why the patient’s voice was hypo-nasal. The information is carefully crafted, organized, and easy to read. I have enjoyed reading the post.
Journal 2
I found the journal enjoyable and easy to read. You gave a detailed diagnosis of the patient’s condition. You also indicated that the patient has stroke in the left side of her brainstem. You also supported the intended argument using appropriate observations. Additionally, you described why the patient was unable to push her tongue against the provided wooden spoon (Dysarthria 1). You also observed that around 70 percent of the patient’s words were incomprehensible. However, I believe strongly that the patient was aware of what she wanted to say. I therefore agree that the patient may have a condition called spastic dysarthria. Generally, your observations are appreciable because they outline the patient’s perceptual characteristics in a professional manner.
Works Cited
Dysarthria Video for Motor Speech Class. “Dysarthria 1.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 2012. Web.
Tomik, Barbara and Roberto Guiloff. “Dysarthria in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A review.” Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 11.1 (2010): 4-15. Print.