Features and characteristics of dysarthria in adults with cerebral palsy

Cerebral Palsy and its Causes

Cerebral Palsy refers to a group of neurological diseases that impair an individual's coordination and mobility. These neurological disorders are frequently caused by difficulties in the nerve system and brain. The issues primarily occur when the areas of the brain responsible for muscular coordination do not operate normally due to aberrant brain development. The affected individuals' brains develop improperly as a result of brain damage before, during, or shortly after birth (Schölderle, 2015). A mother's illness during pregnancy contributes to the child's brain developing abnormally. This condition is also caused by premature or difficult birth, mutation of the genes that disrupt the normal development of the brain, and bleeding of the baby’s brain.

Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

After birth, the symptoms of cerebral palsy are not normally apparent. However, these symptoms begin to manifest during the first three years of a child’s life. During these early years, the major symptoms of children with cerebral palsy include muscle stiffness, uncontrolled or random body movements, muscle weakness, and coordination and balance problems (Mecham, 2002). These symptoms affect various parts of the body, and usually, the severity of these conditions differs from one individual to another. Some affected children may possess only minor complications whereas others are often severely disabled. Other symptoms of this condition involve learning and communication difficulties.

Limitations and Challenges

The limitations and restrictions encountered by children with cerebral palsy include an inability to walk and communicate, severe impairment of one’s vision, a resultant epileptic condition, pain, and cognitive complications. Studies show that the number of cerebral palsy patients suffering from severe complications of the condition is substantially few; however, all cerebral palsy patients experience pain (Mecham, 2002).

Emotional Challenges

The children who have cerebral palsy are inherently not different from other unaffected children. Just like other children, they want to be accepted by peers, make friends, and fit into society. But due to their disability, the affected children may develop emotional issues as they encounter the common daily challenges. Without a proper positive support system, the affected children are at an increased risk of developing emotional disorders. According to Dr. Allan Colver, individuals with cerebral palsy easily develop emotional difficulties because of excessive brain damage (Langwith, 2011). This damage disrupts the brain’s networks and pathways that facilitate the regulation of emotions.

Impact on Education and Work

Since cerebral palsy affects the normal body movement and cognitive development of an individual, the affected children are unable to run faster and give a quick response to questions like their peers. The physical limitations of the affected individuals make it difficult for them to finish school work at the pace other children do. These experiences subject children to constant emotional issues throughout their childhood and adult life.

Adults with cerebral palsy experience difficulties in their workplace, for instance, because of communication challenges they find it hard to interact and carry out the expected daily operations. This is because the condition interrupts an individual’s ability to adequately coordinate the muscles around the tongue and the mouth required for speech (Mecham, 2002). The speech orientation of the affected individual is made worse by poor coordination of breath, hence the affected individuals sound 'breathy' when they speak. Some severely affected persons may be unable to make any sounds while others possess an ability to produce sound but have inherent complications controlling their movement sufficiently to make a speech that is coherent and clear. Apparently, the severely affected individuals may not be absorbed into the usual workplaces because they would not cope with the demanding requirements in workplaces.

Employees with cerebral palsy would find it hard to integrate and adapt to the standards and requirements put in place by different organizations. For instance, individuals with cognitive impairment as a result of cerebral palsy would not compete well with their normal counterparts. Pronounced understanding difficulties would subject the affected individuals to daunting experiences, and hence their performance would be severely affected (Mecham, 2002). Only the individual with physical impairment would be at an advantaged position to undertake and understand daily organizational duties like their peers. However, individuals with cognitive impairment would be unable to carry out daily duties at the expected pace without any assistance. Thus, only the employees with mild physical disorders and cognitive challenges would attain the expected work performance.

Hearing and Vision Impairments

Besides, employees with hearing and vision impairments brought about by cerebral palsy conditions would be unable to work well. Though the level of hearing impairment is normally partial, the individual's performance, in the long run, would be substantially affected. On the contrary, vision impairment is common among individuals with cerebral palsy (Langwith, 2011). Because of vision impairment, the affected individuals are more than likely to experience dyskinetic strabismus, optic neuropathy, myopia, severe gaze dysfunction, and absence of binocular fusion.

Therapy and Assistance

It is apparent, therefore, that individuals with cerebral palsy encounter many challenges in their vocational and daily activities. As such, for the affected individuals to be integrated well into society, they require appropriate therapy and assistance from parents, caregivers, and specialized medical practitioners.

References

Langwith, J. (2011). Cerebral palsy. Farmington Hills, Mich: Greenhaven Press.

Mecham, M. J. (2002). Cerebral palsy. Austin, Tex: PRO-ED.

Schölderle, T. (2015). The impact of early brain damage on speech: Features and characteristics of dysarthria in adults with cerebral palsy. Dissertation.