Today we will try to understand the essence of the phenomenon called "dysarthria". What it is? What are the causes of pathology? This is especially important, since in children with normal mental development this disease makes up 6% of cases, and this indicator tends to increase.
Dysarthria is a violation of the pronunciation of sounds caused by damage to parts of the brain and, accordingly, a disorder of the innervation of the muscles involved in speech.
Severe dysarthria - what is it?
Dysarthria is observed in mild and severe form. The latter is considered as one of the manifestations of cerebral palsy. Such children receive both speech therapy and medical care in the complex. It is provided by specialized children's institutions (kindergartens and schools for children with speech problems or disorders of the musculoskeletal system).
Obstructed dysarthria - what is it?
Children with a mild degree of dysarthria (in other words they call it “worn out”), as a rule, study in general children's institutions.
It manifests itself in a slight violation of the functions of the organs of articulation, as well as fine motor skills. The speech of such children is fuzzy, but understandable to others, since the disease is based on only point lesions of the cerebral cortex. This leads to paresis of only some of the muscles used for articulation, for example, only one side of the tongue or its tip.
When compared with dyslalia (a violation of the pronunciation of sounds during normal innervation of the articulation apparatus), the violations in question have a completely different cause and external manifestations.
Symptoms of dysarthria
Diagnosis of dysarthria, despite the fact that children affected by it, most often do not stand out among peers, occurs according to some general signs:
- in addition to fuzzy pronunciation, they eat poorly, especially meat dishes and solid foods due to problems with chewing;
- underdeveloped muscles of the cheeks and tongue make it difficult to rinse the mouth: children either immediately spit out water or swallow it;
- poorly developed fine motor skills of the hands make it difficult to fasten buttons and lace up shoes;
- obvious problems for these children are observed during drawing or writing - it is difficult for them to hold a pencil, adjust pressure, etc.
- children with dysarthria are considered clumsy, because it is difficult for them to learn, for example, to dance, that is, to correlate their own movements with a musical phrase, its beginning and end;
- dysarthria, standing on one leg, is difficult to maintain balance.
In addition to these problems, children, even with mild dysarthria, suffer from increased excitability and exhaustion of the nervous system. From the first year of life, this is manifested by tearfulness and a constant demand for attention from loved ones, sleep disturbances, a predisposition to frequent vomiting, and stomach upsets. The condition of such children often depends on meteorological changes.
Dysarthria treatment
Dysarthria is treated comprehensively, with the participation of both a neuropsychiatrist and a speech therapist. But parents play a significant role in this, therefore it is extremely important for them to know: the diagnosis of “dysarthria" - what it is, why certain procedures and exercises are performed, and also clearly imagine the possible results.
The treatment process uses both therapeutic procedures (drugs, physiotherapy and acupuncture to normalize muscle tone, physiotherapy exercises), and speech therapy (articulatory gymnastics, correction of voice and speech breathing, correction of pronunciation, etc.).