Loading...
Speech in children with cerebral palsy
Mei, Cristina Reilly, Sheena Bickerton, Molly Mensah, Fiona Turner, Samantha Kumaranayagam, Dhanooshini Pennington, Lindsay Reddihough, Dinah Morgan, Angela T.
Mei, Cristina
Reilly, Sheena
Bickerton, Molly
Mensah, Fiona
Turner, Samantha
Kumaranayagam, Dhanooshini
Pennington, Lindsay
Reddihough, Dinah
Morgan, Angela T.
Abstract
Aim
To examine the frequency, characteristics, and factors associated with speech delay and disorder in a community sample of children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Method
Participants were 84 children (37 females, 47 males; aged between 4y 11mo–6y 6mo) with CP identified through a population-based registry. Speech and oromotor function were systematically evaluated to provide a differential diagnosis of articulation, phonological, and motor speech disorders.
Results
In total, 82% (69/84) of participants had delayed or disordered speech production, including minimally verbal presentations (n=20). Verbal participants (n=64) presented with dysarthria (78%), articulation delay or disorder (54%), phonological delay or disorder (43%), features of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) (17%), or mixed presentations across these conditions. Speech intelligibility was poorest in those with dysarthria and features of CAS. Speech delay or disorder in verbal participants was associated with language impairment (p=0.002) and reduced health-related quality of life (p=0.04) (Fisher’s exact test). Poorer speech accuracy (i.e. lower percentage consonants correct) correlated with greater impairments in both language (p<0.001) and oromotor function (p<0.001) (Spearman’s test).
Interpretation
The speech profile of children with CP is characterized by impairment at multiple levels of speech production (phonetic, cognitive-linguistic, neuromuscular execution, and high-level planning/programming), highlighting the importance of a personalized differential diagnosis informing targeted treatment.
Keywords
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
Book
Volume
62
Issue
12
Page Range
1374-1382
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled