Communication difficulties

Some people with cerebral palsy have no communication difficulties while others have expressive (being understood) and/or receptive (understanding) difficulties. While many people with cerebral palsy will communicate effectively using speech, many have communication disability which impacts their speech, language and communication. Differences in muscle tone, coordination and movement of the tongue, lips, cheeks and throat (dysarthria) can cause speech difficulties. Whether or not a person has difficulty with speech does not provide an indication of their cognitive function.

An estimated 25% of people with cerebral palsy have little or no speech and need or use augmentative and alternative communication; see Using multimodal communication. Encouraging the person to use their aid in a consultation enables direct rapport and sharing of information between doctor and patient (see Communicating with people with developmental disability).

Refer to a speech pathologist with experience in the assessment of communication support needs for assessment and advice on appropriate aids and equipment, and training in their use.

Funding for communication aids and equipment is available through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).