NIHSS Dysarthria Assessment 2

Question 1

A patient reads the standard NIHSS word list but their speech is mildly slurred yet fully understandable. What NIHSS dysarthria score applies?

Accepted Answer

1 – Mild to moderate dysarthria

Answer

Slurred but understandable speech with no other explanation scores 1 (mild to moderate dysarthria) on NIHSS item 10.

Question 2

Which scenario correctly justifies an NIHSS dysarthria score of UN (unable to test)?

Accepted Answer

Patient is intubated and cannot vocalize

Answer

UN is reserved for patients who have a physical barrier to speech testing, such as intubation, not for refusal or language barriers.

Question 3

On NIHSS item 10, the examiner asks the patient to read words aloud. Which list is used?

Accepted Answer

The standard NIHSS word list printed on the scoring card

Answer

The NIHSS protocol specifies reading the standardized word list provided on the NIHSS score card for dysarthria testing.

Question 4

A patient with severe dysarthria has speech so slurred it is unintelligible to the examiner. What score is assigned?

Accepted Answer

2

Answer

Speech that is unintelligible or absent in a patient who is not aphasic earns a score of 2 on NIHSS dysarthria.

Question 5

Why is it important to distinguish dysarthria from aphasia when scoring NIHSS item 10?

Accepted Answer

Dysarthria reflects motor speech impairment while aphasia reflects language content impairment

Answer

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder (articulation problem) separate from aphasia (language content disorder), and both have distinct NIHSS items.

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