Speech and communication in cerebral palsy

Children communicate using speech, vocalisation, facial expression, gesture and body movement. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy (CP) may affect the movements needed to produce any type of communication signal. Movements intended to be the same may vary in range, speed, strength and accuracy and as a result communication signals may be difficult to understand. Children’s communication development may also be affected by cognitive or sensory disturbances, which are also common in CP (1). This paper will describe the speech and communication difficulties often experienced by children with CP and will summarise the interventions that have been found to be clinically effective with this population of children.