Friedreich’s Ataxia News Forums Forums Living With FA Do you have any advice for experiencing slurred speech?

  • Do you have any advice for experiencing slurred speech?

    Posted by Christina Cordaro on August 2, 2022 at 10:00 am

    For my full-time position, I work in hospitality and am constantly answering incoming calls since it is a customer service-based role.

    Within the past year, I have noticed my speech increasingly becoming slurred. I also have to use energy to speak and make myself understood.

    Has anyone experienced this? How do you manage this FA symptom?

    Christina Cordaro replied 1 year, 8 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Ray Cotton

    Member
    August 4, 2022 at 3:44 pm

    Hi, Christina, I was experiencing some slurred speech. I hired a speech therapist thru Stanford which has been helpful. My key takeaway has that most problems surprisingly come from a lack of breath control and having enough oxygen to complete sentences.

    Best,

    Ray

    • Christina Cordaro

      Member
      August 8, 2022 at 5:41 pm

      I agree about the breath control! Sometimes I feel it takes so much energy and strength to get my words out.

  • Becky cook

    Member
    August 9, 2022 at 9:56 am

    My speech is definitely a lot more slurred when I am tired so if you’re working in hospitality maybe a bar for example and anything after say 9 pm might be difficult. When I was working in a call Centre I was referred to a speech therapist who said keep things brief don’t say 25 words wen 10 will do and sometimes you don’t need to say very much, it’s difficult well first but after a while believe me it gets easier, there were certain words such as my mum I couldn’t say so instead of my mum I would say mother   . Xx

  • Christina Cordaro

    Member
    August 9, 2022 at 10:25 am

    Thank you for sharing your story @becky1977! I’ve also been saying less/finding alternatives to get my message across and it has been helping.

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