Week Nine

Question 1

What is the most common cause of motor disability in children?

Answer 1

Cerebral Palsy

Affects 3-4 children per 1000

Question 2

What is causes cerebral palsy?

Answer 2

• Abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain (fetal or infant)
• Genetic
• Maternal or infant infections
• Fetal Stroke
• TBI
• Asphyxia

Question 3

What is cerebral palsy?

Answer 3

• A permanent, non-progressive disability
• Characterized by movement/postural disturbances
• Often accompanied by issues with sensation, perception and cognition
• Different types:
  Spasticity (most common)
  Dyskinesia
  Ataxia
  Mixed

Question 4

What speech subsystems can be effected in children with cerebral palsy?

Answer 4

• All speech subsystems can be effected
• Most commonly observed speech characteristics:
  Impaired articulation (less vowel space area)
  Reduced speech rate
  Decreased loudness

Question 5

True or false: treatment should start early

Answer 5

true

Question 6

What are some difficulties in diagnosing dysarthria in children with cerebral palsy?

Answer 6

Young children are still acquiring speech sounds

There are speech characteristics of typically developing language that overlap with dysarthria (difficulty producing complex sounds, imprecise articulation, distortions, slow rate)

And developmental maturity

Question 7

True/False: Treatments for children with cerebral palsy are the same as treatments for adults?

Answer 7

true

Question 8

Is reduction in the impairment level likely for children with cerebral palsy?

Answer 8

No, because there is permanent damage to the brain

Question 9

How might we treat CP?

Answer 9

• Behavioral interventions, both global and subsystem approaches (activity level)
• Augmentative strategies (AAC) (participation level)

Question 10

What is a multimodal approach?

Answer 10

working on speech through behavioural interventions while also introducing AAC

Question 11

What are some things to consider when thinking about treatment goals?

Answer 11

• Phonological acquisition, language production, cognitive development of a typically developing child of the same age
• Impact of co-occuring language problems
• Goal is not “mastery” but intelligible

Question 12

What is a area that is a major contributor to intelligibility reductions for children with CP?

Answer 12

Articulatory subsystem

Some children with CP may receive traditional articulation therapy