Speech therapy for cerebral palsy patients is used to help develop communication skills. The effects of cerebral palsy on children and adults are complicated. Learning more about cerebral palsy is the first step in understanding speech therapy's role in improving the quality of a child's life.
History of Cerebral Palsy
In the mid-1800's, William Little was the first person to record cerebral palsy and it's affects on children. Mr. Little noticed that this condition occurred in the child's first year of life, causing stiff and spastic muscles. Leg muscles were the most severely affected. Arms were also affected, but often not as severely as the legs. Children had difficulty grabbing objects of any size or weight, were unable to crawl or had delayed abilities to learn to crawl. Large numbers were unable to walk without assistance or could walk at all. Little noted that the symptoms did not appear to worsen or to improve and believed that the condition was a result of difficulty during birth. The condition was originally called Little's Disease.
In 1897, Sigmund Freud disagreed with William Little's work, and believed that the condition began while the child was still in the womb as a result of damage to the developing brain. Freud noted mental retardation, visual disturbances and seizures in these patients, reinforcing his claim that the primary cause was in brain development.
Little's Disease was changed to cerebral palsy, indicating what happens to the infant. The brain (cerebral) and the muscles and motor control (palsy) are affected. Future research showed that both Little and Freud were correct. A percentage of infants are afflicted with cerebral palsy while still in the womb and a percentage during delivery and after delivery. Congenital cerebral palsy occurs 70 percent of the time prior to birth, 20 percent of the time during birth and 10 percent of the time after birth. Premature babies have a higher rate of cerebral palsy than full term.
Cerebral palsy can cause the inability or difficulty to breathe, swallow or, as babies grow, speak. These difficulties can be caused by damage to the area of the brain associated with these functions or by the muscles controlling these functions being affected. Speech therapy can teach the child, family members and caregivers what is needed to work with the child at home, at school and in the community to increase communication and decrease frustration. The earlier speech therapy intervention is started, the greater the opportunity for improvement communication and quality of life.
Purpose of Speech Therapy
Speech therapy works to correct speech disorders, restore speech abilities, introduce communication aids, teach sign language and improve listening skills. Muscle training is included to teach the child use his tongue muscle in order to communicate.
Beginning at Home
Speech therapy includes working on verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills. These skills include looking directly at who is speaking and listening to him. Speaking slowly and lip reading are also taught, to correctly use the mouth to make sounds and form words. Pictures introduce the word with visual and audio connections and to assist within nonverbal communication. Objects are used in the same manner; the speaker may hold an apple and an orange to ask the child which he prefers. The child asks for the item he wants, hears that word and sees that object, connecting word and object verbally and physically receiving what he desires. This reinforces the need to communicate either verbally or with an object. Reading books to the child slowly, pointing out words and objects and demonstrating changing tones of voice are also ways to demonstrate communication.
Hearing Test
Speech therapies begin with a hearing test regardless of the child's age. A child with a hearing deficit will be examined for medical causes for hearing loss, such as fluid in the ear. If the hearing loss ca corrected with antibiotics or simple surgical procedures, speech therapy will begin quickly. If hearing loss is due to a physical deformity or damage to the area of the brain that controls the hearing function, other forms of speech and communication will be pursued.
Articulation
Speech therapy begins simply with the child developing their ability to articulate sounds. A therapist may begin with the letter "S." The sound ("SSSSS") will be taught until the child is able to repeat the sound with no consonants. Once the single sound is mastered, the child progresses to using the sound in the beginning of a word for one week. The child will hear the spoken letter in the following words: sun, sorry, soup, sick, sandwich, skate, slip, sock, shoe, shovel. The next week the child will hear the sound in the middle of words: beSide, bloSSom, baSSon, baSketball, baSeball. The following week the sound will be at the end words: meSS, bleSS, dreSS, impreSS, beSt, reSt.
Upon mastering sounds, the child is taught to say 10 to 20 words that are essential in his life, such as drink, milk, sleep, dress, more, please, tired, play. With this, the parent, child and caregiver begin communicating.
Language Development
Once articulation is mastered, the speech therapist will work on additional language skills by teaching the child read a book and doing activities related to the book. This enables the child to understand the cause and effect of language. Read the book Give a Mouse a Cookie, for example, and work with the child to make a cookie, serve a cookie or eat a cookie. When able to see and understand communication, the child is encouraged to continue developing these skills.
If a child is unable to speak due to severe cerebral palsy, the speech therapist may teach her to master forms of nonverbal communication. Depending upon mental capabilities, this may include communication boards with pictures, words and letters. Gesturing may be introduced or may advance to sign language. Computers have enabled nonverbal children and adults to communicate with programs that will speak for them or by writing what they want to communicate.
Non-Verbal Communication
According to cerebralpalsysource.com, speech therapy has helped over 764,000 children and adults to communicate to the best of their abilities. Each year, 8,000 infants and 1,200 to 1,500 preschool children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy; that's one in every 400 children and adults who have been diagnosed with some degree of cerebral palsy. The earlier children are introduced to speech therapy, the more successful the therapy will be, improving the overall quality of life.
Tags: cerebral palsy, children adults, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, nonverbal communication, percent time