COMS 5553 KARA LYNN SIMUCASE
ASSESSMENT EXAM SCRIPT WITH VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
●● What are the important functions of the indirect activation pathways?
Answer: Regulates muscle tone, posture, balance, and reflexes. Helps
coordinate movement, suppress unwanted movements, and maintain
smooth, stable motion.
●● Spastic dysarthria is caused by
Answer: bilateral damage to UMN
●● What are the underlying neuromuscular features of spastic
dysarthria?
Answer: Weakness, Spasticity (increased muscle tone), Reduced range
of motion, Slowness of movement
●● How does a slowed speaking rate affect speech in spastic dysarthria?
Answer: Gives speakers more time to coordinate speech movements.
May improve speech intelligibility. Can reduce articulatory imprecision.
Often makes speech sound effortful and labored despite improving
clarity somewhat.
,●● What are the most distinctive features of speech in spastic
dysarthria?
Answer: Strained-strangled voice quality. Slow speaking rate. Distorted
vowels. Slow, regular alternating motion rates (AMRs)
●● What are confirmatory signs for bilateral UMN damage?
Answer: Hyperreflexia. Pathological reflexes (Babinski, snout, jaw jerk).
Spasticity. Emotional lability (pseudobulbar affect). Little or no muscle
atrophy. No fasciculations
●● How is bilateral UMN damage different from LMN damage? LMN
signs are...
Answer: Muscle atrophy. Fasciculations. Flaccidity. Weakness. Reduced
or absent reflexes (hyporeflexia)
●● What challenges with speech do people with spastic dysarthria
endorse?
Answer: Effortful speech, fatigue, slow rate of speech, hypernasality,
swallowing difficulties, emotional lability.
●● How can a brainstem stroke result in spastic dysarthria?
Answer: It can damage the descending corticobulbar (UMN) fibers
before they reach the cranial nerve nuclei. If both sides of these
pathways are affected, bilateral UMN damage occurs, producing spastic
dysarthria.
, ●● What do patients with unilateral upper motor neuron dysarthria
endorse in terms of speech?
Answer: Usually co-occurs with aphasia or apraxia. Weakness and
spasticity and lingual weakness on affected side. Lower facial weakness
on contralateral side. Overall mild-moderate symptoms. Mild slurred
speech, Temporary speech changes, Mild articulatory imprecision,
sometimes facial weakness
●● What is the treatment for UUMND?
Answer: Treat aphasia/apraxia first. Overarticulation, education, using
clear speech strategies.
●● Can spastic dysarthria occur with a single lesion?
Answer: It typically requires bilateral UMN involvement because speech
muscles receive bilateral cortical innervation.
●● Damage to what part of the motor system is associated with ataxic
dysarthria?
Answer: cerebellum or cerebellar control circuit
●● Define dysmetria.
Answer: An inability to accurately judge the distance or range of a
movement. Movements may overshoot (hypermetria) or undershoot
(hypometria) the target.
ASSESSMENT EXAM SCRIPT WITH VERIFIED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
●● What are the important functions of the indirect activation pathways?
Answer: Regulates muscle tone, posture, balance, and reflexes. Helps
coordinate movement, suppress unwanted movements, and maintain
smooth, stable motion.
●● Spastic dysarthria is caused by
Answer: bilateral damage to UMN
●● What are the underlying neuromuscular features of spastic
dysarthria?
Answer: Weakness, Spasticity (increased muscle tone), Reduced range
of motion, Slowness of movement
●● How does a slowed speaking rate affect speech in spastic dysarthria?
Answer: Gives speakers more time to coordinate speech movements.
May improve speech intelligibility. Can reduce articulatory imprecision.
Often makes speech sound effortful and labored despite improving
clarity somewhat.
,●● What are the most distinctive features of speech in spastic
dysarthria?
Answer: Strained-strangled voice quality. Slow speaking rate. Distorted
vowels. Slow, regular alternating motion rates (AMRs)
●● What are confirmatory signs for bilateral UMN damage?
Answer: Hyperreflexia. Pathological reflexes (Babinski, snout, jaw jerk).
Spasticity. Emotional lability (pseudobulbar affect). Little or no muscle
atrophy. No fasciculations
●● How is bilateral UMN damage different from LMN damage? LMN
signs are...
Answer: Muscle atrophy. Fasciculations. Flaccidity. Weakness. Reduced
or absent reflexes (hyporeflexia)
●● What challenges with speech do people with spastic dysarthria
endorse?
Answer: Effortful speech, fatigue, slow rate of speech, hypernasality,
swallowing difficulties, emotional lability.
●● How can a brainstem stroke result in spastic dysarthria?
Answer: It can damage the descending corticobulbar (UMN) fibers
before they reach the cranial nerve nuclei. If both sides of these
pathways are affected, bilateral UMN damage occurs, producing spastic
dysarthria.
, ●● What do patients with unilateral upper motor neuron dysarthria
endorse in terms of speech?
Answer: Usually co-occurs with aphasia or apraxia. Weakness and
spasticity and lingual weakness on affected side. Lower facial weakness
on contralateral side. Overall mild-moderate symptoms. Mild slurred
speech, Temporary speech changes, Mild articulatory imprecision,
sometimes facial weakness
●● What is the treatment for UUMND?
Answer: Treat aphasia/apraxia first. Overarticulation, education, using
clear speech strategies.
●● Can spastic dysarthria occur with a single lesion?
Answer: It typically requires bilateral UMN involvement because speech
muscles receive bilateral cortical innervation.
●● Damage to what part of the motor system is associated with ataxic
dysarthria?
Answer: cerebellum or cerebellar control circuit
●● Define dysmetria.
Answer: An inability to accurately judge the distance or range of a
movement. Movements may overshoot (hypermetria) or undershoot
(hypometria) the target.
