Art For Children
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is not a disease or illness. "Cerebral" refers to the brain, and "palsy" refers to muscle weakness/poor control.
It is s a physical condition resulting from injury to the brain which impairs movement. A CP patient will have difficulty moving her/his arms caused because of problems in the brain. The child might have had an injury to the brain, or had a brain that did not develop properly. These problems can affect the way the brain controls movement and posture.
There are various types, ranging from minor to severe disruption of the brain. Over a period of time, the CP patients can get a little better or worst or they might remain the same, but there is no cure for the condition. Cerebral Palsy patients can be treated by various therapies, medications, surgery and lots of support from family and friends that would allow them to improve the quality of their lives.
Speech Characteristics in a Person with Cerebral Palsy
Poor muscle control can make the speech of the child with cerebral palsy slow, slurred and sometimes unclear.
Children with cerebral palsy, without associated intellectual disability or hearing loss, can understand speech and language like a child with normal development. However, owing to the poor muscle controls, the child struggles to speak out.
The muscles involved in speech functions include tongue, vocal cords or voice box, chest muscles used for breathing, cheek muscles, pharynx and soft palate. Due to the lack of muscle control, functions like swallowing, saliva control and breathing are the difficulties experienced by the child. This difficulty extends to the coordination of muscles movements for speaking out the sounds and words, and the child is not able to express his or her needs, wants and feelings.
Some children may not be able to use their facial muscles to speak at all while some can manage to speak in a slow and slurred manner. Their speech may also be fast and jerky. Some children use gestures and sign language to communicate their needs.
Support For Cerebral Palsy
To get help with Cerebral Palsy, take your child to his/her paediatrician who will most likely refer you to an occupational therapist or physical therapist.
You can also contact:
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The Children's Developmnet Centre at Jemmotts Lane for assstance.
Perry Gap. Roebuck Street Tel 622-2038
Please go to Family Services
Read Up on Cerebral Palsy with these Links
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cerebral-palsy/Pages/Introduction.aspx