Which of the following is a type of dysarthria?

• A. Hyperkinetic
• B. Aphasia
• C. Dyslexia
• D. Apraxia

Answer: (A)

Motor speech disorders involve how the mouth, tongue, larynx, and breath control come together to speak. Dysarthria refers to problems with the execution of those movements due to neuromuscular issues. Hyperkinetic dysarthria comes from involuntary, irregular movements of the speech muscles—like chorea or dystonia—that disrupt timing, rate, and articulation. Because it directly affects the muscles used for speech, it’s classified as a type of dysarthria.

Aphasia, by contrast, is a language impairment from brain injury that affects understanding or producing meaningful language, not the physical act of moving the speech muscles. Dyslexia is a reading disorder, unrelated to motor control of speech. Apraxia of speech is a motor planning disorder; it disrupts the sequencing of movements rather than the execution of the movements themselves, so it isn’t categorized as a dysarthria.