Three Diagnoses In Kids Requiring Speech Therapy

There are certain diagnoses in kids where speech therapy can be especially helpful when it comes to developing their language skills. If your child has any one of the following diagnoses, you will want to see how pediatric speech therapy can be of benefit to them.

Cerebral Palsy

This condition is caused when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain either before, during or after birth. It is more common when babies are born prematurely. This lack of oxygen damages certain parts of the brain, and some of the damaged parts might affect a child's speech and language development. Speech therapy can not only help a child develop these skills, it can also help develop the muscles in the face. This in turn can help prevent drooling and improve the child's eating abilities. Some children with cerebral palsy might be nonverbal. In these cases, a speech language pathologist can help to find ways for the child to communicate with others, including using specialized communication devices.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

Children who have this speech motor disorder have trouble communicating due to difficulties saying sounds, syllables and words. Like cerebral palsy, these difficulties stem from an issue in the brain. When the brain has problems telling the jaw, tongue and mouth how to move in order to talk, CAS is the result. Usually, the child knows what they want to say but the brain and other parts of the mouth do not cooperate. Oftentimes, intense speech therapy and a lot of practice by the child is required to help retrain the child's brain and coordinate muscle movements.

Autism

This diagnosis is probably one of the least understood in children. There are many theories as to why children get autism but nobody really knows for sure. It is known that certain types of therapies can help children manage the symptoms that often accompany autism. Once such therapy is pediatric speech therapy. Normally children with autism have troubles communicating with others while some might not have the ability to communicate at all.

Since the speech symptoms associated with autism vary so greatly, treatment is often dependent upon which symptoms are present. Regardless of what kind of specialized treatment is required, speech therapy has been proven to help a child with autism find the best way to communicate and help them to develop language skills.

If your child has any one of the above diagnoses, it is highly recommended for them to start pediatric speech therapy as soon as possible.

To learn more about pediatric speech therapy, visit an office like Achieve Center.