At Risk Children with cerebral palsy may also struggle with dysarthria. By Nicole Klimas Children with cerebral palsy struggle with muscle tone and posture problems. But they are also at risk for problems that can arise from this neurological disorder. Wis. For example, children who have spastic diplegia or spastic quadriplegia frequently have difficulties with respiratory support for speech production, she says. If that same child has difficulty at the level of the larynx or a voice problem, that's also considered dysarthria.
Muscles are stiff, and the child is at risk of contractures.
Athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by uncontrolled, slow, writhing movements affecting the hands, feet, arms or legs. In some cases muscles of the face and tongue are affected. In fact, some of them only become verbal after the age of 9 or 10 when they gain body weight and stability and generally improve in their motor skills. Youngsters with CP may present with only very mild dysarthria. The condition may develop over time as a result of general immobility and poor posture, which can cause a general reduction in respiratory support, control and related voice disorders.