The most common speech problem associated with MS is Dysarthria ( slurred speech).

If you are having problems with dysarthria, a visit to a speech therapist may help. Here are some exercises which may also help. Practice once or twice a day for 20-30 minutes.

• Open and close the mouth slowly several times.
• Pucker the lips into a big kiss, hold, and then relax.
• Spread the lips into a big smile, hold, and then relax.
• Pucker, hold, smile, hold. Repeat this alternating movement.
• Open the mouth, and then try to pucker with the mouth wide open (do not close the jaw), hold, and then relax.
• Close the lips tightly and press together, and then relax.
• Close the lips firmly; slurp all the saliva out to the top of the tongue.
• Open the mouth and stick out the tongue; be sure the tongue comes straight out of the mouth and does not go off to the side, hold, and then relax.
• Stick out the tongue and move it slowly from comer to comer of the lips, hold in each comer, and then relax. Be sure the tongue actually touches each comer each time.
• Stick out the tongue and try to reach the chin with the tongue tip. hold at the farthest point. and then relax.