A real photo of Stephen Hawking with President Clinton. Hawking has suffered from ALS for many years and is totally paralyzed. He communicates totally through a computer which is mounted on his wheelchair.
For more information you can visit his web site at:
http://www.hawking.org.uk

Here is an example of an adult (not Stephen Hawking) with a Flaccid Dysarthria speaking. Notice that the paralysis is only partial creating a general weakness in the speech mucularture. Hence the typically crisp and well timed movements of speech are lacking, so that the consonants are slurred, the vowels are muffled and the rhythm is somewhat slower than would be expected.

(Please note, that the reason our examples are from adults and not from children is because it is difficult sometimes, because of the many varialbes associated with growth, to know how a child should sound. But we all know how an adult should sound. Hence the impact of the disabled process on adult speech is crystal clear.)

(Please allow around 55 seconds for the Example audio file to download)