ALS affects the muscles. Some muscles are partly responsible for making clear speech possible. If these muscles weaken, difficulties can arise in the area of speech.
Common problems with ALS include:
- hoarse voice
- more muffled or more nasal voice
- unclear speech
Speech therapists can often be a great help with these difficulties. They try to maintain communication skills for as long as possible in various ways. Moreover, they can also evaluate the swallowing function and, if necessary, provide tips for improving swallowing.
A few tips:
- If possible, limit the ambient noise. It can indeed be very tiring to have to talk over a television or radio.
- Speak slowly.
- Look at your communication partner when you talk to him/her and make sure he/she can also see your face clearly. A well-lit room facilitates personal communication.
- Use short sentences. Say only one or two words or syllables per breath.
- Over-articulate: lengthen the vowels and exaggerate the consonants.
- Choose a comfortable posture while speaking.
- Be careful with exercises that normally strengthen the speech muscles, as they can have the opposite effect with persons suffering from ALS. Always ask the speech therapist which exercises are appropriate for you.
- Take a (vocal) rest period before engaging in a conversation or phone call. After all, fatigue has a major impact on your speech ability. Therefore, communication may be much smoother in the morning than in the evening.
- When your voice sounds very quiet, it might be interesting to use a voice amplifier. When someone has difficulty understanding you, the following strategies can help:
- If you can still write, pen and paper or a whiteboard can be helpful.
- Typing on a computer, tablet, or phone can also be a solution. There are also many apps to promote communication (for example, AAC Speech Assistant).
- – Use telegraphic speech; use only those words that are essential to convey
- that specific message.
- – Use telegraphic speech; use only the words essential to convey that specific message.
- – There is a lot of speech and communication technology to keep communicating for as long as possible. For more info, you can contact the ALS League!
Non-verbal communication:
Non-verbal communication means communication without words. When it becomes too difficult to communicate through speech, one can use certain expressions and/or movements to convey a message. For example, one can use the movements of the eyes and eyelids to communicate “yes” or “no.” Non-verbal communication can even improve speech by relieving the pressure to talk. Moreover, the ability to use non-verbally communication also reduces the frustrations and stress that arise from not being able to express oneself, allowing the person with speech difficulties to communicate in a more relaxed manner.
Resources:
Don’t hesitate to contact the ALS League regarding tools that improve communication. We are always ready to give advice or come to the rescue ourselves from our own lending service.
Tips for communication partners:
- Look at the person with communication difficulties when talking to him/her.
- Ask questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
- Repeat the part of the sentence that you understood (e.g., You want me to go upstairs and get what exactly for you?).