This study highlights the importance of monitoring and managing chronic conditions in adults with cerebral palsy. It also provides important information that can help healthcare professionals better understand the health needs of this population.
Speech impairments like dysarthria are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP) which can greatly affect participation across environments. Our study examined how speech impairment severity changes over time in 101 children with CP at 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of age.
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that affects how clear and understandable a person’s speech is. Between 50-90% of people with CP have dysarthria.
Adults with Cerebral Palsy have unique care needs related to physiological changes that occurred with growth and development with Cerebral Palsy, including mental health, yet experience many barriers to proper care.
Though the initial insult or injury to the brain that causes cerebral palsy is non-progressive, aging with cerebral palsy and lack of physical activity during critical periods of development can impact biologic and metabolic function for adults with cerebral palsy.
Although the brain injury that causes cerebral palsy is nonprogressive, adults with CP can experience a variety of symptoms as they age which often depend on the type of CP they have, as well as the level.