Children with Developmental Challenges

Children With Developmental Challenges 3(2+1)

Lesson 26 : Communication and Speech Disorders

Associative Conditions for Speech Defects

1. Speech defects associated with cleft palate. The Prevalence is one in 750 live births
   This is due to structural deficiencies caused by the arrest/ failure of the bone & tissue of the palates to fuse during the second and third months of pregnancy. The development is arrested because of mesoderm deficiency or malnutrition, x-ray, endocrine deficiency, O2 supply shortage. If at this time the development is arrested later nothing can be made

Types of clefts:

1. Cleft of lip tissue – medial, unilateral, bilateral or may extend into either nostril or both.
2. Cleft of the lip and hard palate which then extend partially into the soft palate.
   Cleft of the soft palate alone.
3. Cleft of lip tissue – medial,
4. Cleft of the uvula producing a bifid condition which is not serious for speech production, if the soft palate is sufficient in length and activity.
5. Submucous cleft of the palate which externally shows no cleft.

Speech of children with Cleft palate

• Nasal speech.
• Plosive sound such as ‘P’ ‘t’ k cannot be made.
• A glutall stop for sound of ‘d’ ‘t’.
• ‘f’, ‘v’, s, z cannot be channeled through mouth.
  
  
  
  


2. Speech disorders associated with Cerebral Palsy:
• May have perfect speech or no speech at all.
• Jargon to intelligible speech
• Stutter and many have articulatory problems
• Speech of spastic will show greater articulatory deviations.
• Vocal quality may be husky, hyper nasality of vowels.
• Athetoid usually slurring in rhythm and constantly changing in pitch
• The ataxic will talk with the same rhythm shown in his walk and bodily movements.
1. Articulatory problems – drooling, omissions, distortions and substitutions
2. Respiratory and rhythmical movements Respiration is not rhythmic – so speech becomes spasmodic or explosive
• They speak on inhalation and not an exhalation
• Weak vocalization, breathiness, or aspirate quality
3. Vocal involvements – monotone or fluctuating pitch
• Nasal, weak and aspirate sounds resulting in poor vocalizations
• Spastic child will show greater articulatory deviations
• Hyper nasality of words
• Vocal quality is husky, guttural and tense

Speech Correction for Cerebral Palsy Child:

1. The child has difficulties in walking, chewing and swallowing .If he is over protected, his speech is delayed or inadequate partly becomes the parents do not give him opportunity and exercise.
2. He can be taught to swallow acceptably close the mouth and enclose the tounge in its habitat.
3. Some advocate lip reading with mirrors
4. Children need a lot of motivation to speak.