Dysarthria in children is a severe violation of speech functions caused by organic damage to the central nervous system. The psychological features of children with dysarthria are such that, because of their indistinctness and severity for the perception of their speech, they try to talk as little as possible so as not to cause ridicule in their peers, and eventually become withdrawn and non-contact.
The main signs of dysarthria
- violation of pronunciation, some sounds are replaced by others, intonations are distorted, the rate of speech changes, the volume of the voice changes. In severe cases, complete paralysis of the vocal muscles is observed;
- difficulty with swallowing - the child "popershivaetsya" food;
- weakness and paralysis of the facial muscles - a constantly open mouth, profuse salivation, the inability to stick out the tongue. Sometimes there is a smoothing of the nasolabial triangle;
- violation of large and small motor skills, for example, a child experiences difficulties with jumps on one leg, can not master the letter;
- children with dysarthria can not correctly not only pronounce, but also perceive sounds - they are difficult to pronounce for themselves, just like in speech, they are replaced by others. This entails learning problems and the inability to master the standard school curriculum.
Causes of dysarthria
Dysarthria in children develops due to the defeat of certain structures of the brain during pregnancy or at an early age. The reason for the defeat could be:
- hypoxia of the fetus due to placental insufficiency;
- intrauterine infections;
- smoking during pregnancy;
- Rhesus-conflict;
- Infection of the brain at an early age.
Forms of dysarthria
- Bulbar dysarthria is accompanied by paralysis of pharyngeal, vocal, facial muscles. Speech in such children is slow, "in the nose," facial expression is poorly expressed. This form of the disease occurs in brain tumors.
- Subcortical dysarthria is manifested in the weakening of muscle tone and the appearance of obsessive movements that the child can not control. With this form of dysarthria the baby can correctly pronounce whole phrases, especially when he is calm. Violated the pace of speech, the child can not control the volume and timbre of the voice, sometimes involuntarily shouting out some words.
- The cerebellar dysarthria itself is rare. More often - in addition to some other form. It appears as "chanting" - chopped, jerky speech, alternating with shouting.
- Cortical dysarthria leads to the fact that it is difficult for a child to pronounce sounds together - in words and phrases, individually it succeeds quite well.
- Wiped dysarthria in children is considered the easiest form. The symptoms of an erased dysarthria are not as obvious as in the cases described above, so it can only be diagnosed after a special examination. Most often occurs due to severe toxicosis, infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy, asphyxia, birth trauma.
- Pseudobulbar dysarthria is the most common form of the disease. Its symptomatology is manifested in the slowing of the rate of speech, the complexity of articulation. In a heavier degree of pseudobulbar dysarthria, limitations arise
movements of the facial muscles and tongue and even the absolute inactivity of the speech apparatus.
Treatment of dysarthria in children
When appointing treatment for dysarthria, the mood of parents is very important, because in addition to medical treatment and sessions with a speech therapist, regular classes at home will be necessary. The full course of treatment lasts approximately 4-5 months, first it is carried out in a hospital, and after - outpatient.
In the arsenal of methods of non-drug treatment of dysarthria logopedic exercises, respiratory gymnastics Strelnikova. The main task of these methods is the development of verbal and facial musculature.
At home, it is recommended to perform the so-called "sweet" gymnastics. The essence of it is that the sugar candy is alternately lubricated by one or the other corner of the mouth and lips, and the child should lick the sweet trace with his tongue.