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Brain damage Brain damage in children results in many problems with development, and can be caused before, during or after birth. this damage to the brain may not always have lasting consequences, although if there is no sign of recovery it could lead to problems with movement (motorial) and intellectual and/or speech and language development. Problems in pronunciation as a result of brain damage is called dysartrie. There are many different forms of this, according to the area of the brain which has been damaged, involving too much muscle tension or too little. In all variations there are early signs of development problems in the articulators and sensitivity in the mouth area. This can be seen in difficulties in eating and drinking, and children will have problems with breast or bottle feeding. It will then often take a long time before they can eat using a spoon, drink from a cup and chew correctly. Weak articulators also bring problems in learning to speak, and speech will be slow and hard to understand. What does the speech therapist do? As there are usually further problem areas in development, the treatment of a child with brain damage will often involve a team. The speech therapist will then be a part of this team. Speech therapists can investigate the possibilities within the articulators from children of a very young age, and give additional advice on chewing and swallowing. Attention will be paid to the child's posture, articulators and sensitivity in the mouth area. This is very important, as the articulators during time of feeding are seen among these children is continuous drooling, another factor which the speech therapist will concentrate on. Following on from this, the speech therapist will stimulate speech and language development, In children of a very young age advice will often be given to the parents or guardians. In older children treatment will mainly involve pronunciation and language. If speaking continues to be a difficult problem for the child, the speech therapist will find an aid with which the child can express itself. Speech therapy treatment is often prolonged, and the results, among other things, depend on the possibilities of the child. The investigation and treatment of children with brain damage will, as a rule, be reimbursed by medical insurance, and almost every individual health insurance company, provided it has recommended by a doctor or medical specialist. |