Motor and sensory alalia: what is it, symptoms, types

What is alalia

Alalia in children is a consequence of damage that occurred during the prenatal or early period of life. Without specially developed treatment, children with this disease will not begin to speak independently.

The appearance of speech may be postponed to preschool, and in some cases to a later period. In such children, such speech delay is not associated with hearing and intellectual defects.

Attention! Alalia cannot be treated at home; to make a diagnosis and prescribe therapy, you only need to visit a specialist in person. First of all, you need to contact your local pediatrician, who will refer the child for further examination.

If correctional therapy begins after 4-5 years, secondary speech delay is possible, associated with the mental development of the child. These children have less knowledge about the world around them than their healthy peers. Alalia is characterized by violations of all aspects of speech:

• phonetic;
• lexical;
• grammatical;
• morphological;
• syntactic.

This is a systemic disorder of the speech apparatus, in which it is difficult to learn the rules of functioning of the native language. The vocabulary is poor and ungrammatical. The treatment is complex and systematic over several years. Statistically, boys suffer from it twice as often.

Alalia is a persistent, severe pathology of the speech apparatus. Children with this diagnosis have difficulty acquiring language. They do not perceive speech as a single system. There are cases when a child does not begin to speak even by school age.

Disorders associated with this disease affect the baby's speech and cognitive activity. Later, problems may arise during the formation of personality. There is often a lack of desire for development and interaction with the outside world.

Alalia is characterized by a systemic nature of speech development disorders, which affects all its components. A child with such impairments does not understand speech addressed to him; all communication is reduced to short babbling words.

In subsequent years, a poor vocabulary, agrammatism, incorrect construction of syllables, and disturbances in the pronunciation of sounds are observed. Alalia is one of the most severe speech disorders. It is impossible to solve this complex problem without the help of speech therapists and other specialists.

Principles of organizing speech therapy work to overcome alalia

Regardless of the form of this speech disorder, correctional work will be based on general principles for overcoming the defect:

• The principle of the necessary formation of speech components in accordance with structural and functional requirements (with the exception of sensory alalia).
• The principle of the simultaneous development of speech and non-speech processes - during the lesson, not only speech is corrected, but also the motor sphere and higher mental functions.
• The principle of an active approach in the formation of speech skills - all instructions are accompanied by actions and visual material.
• The principle of relying on physiological norms for the development of children's speech.
• The principle of development of the semantic side, that is, it is necessary to explain the meaning of actions.
• The principle of overcoming a child’s reduced need for communication.
• The principle of step-by-step correctional work.
• The principle of relying on intact speech functions.
• The principle of relying on the senses is compensation for underdevelopment of speech function at the expense of other analyzers.
• The principle of taking into account the child’s capabilities, that is, an adult must make adequate demands.
• The principle of relying on the leading type of speech: the specialist forms in the child an understanding that speech is the main tool for interacting with the outside world.
• The principle of clarity and commentary on activities - it is necessary to use pictures, toys, and didactic games; the adult must voice his actions.

For correctional work to be effective, a specialist must build classes based on these principles. It is necessary to correct not only speech processes, but also other areas so that the child’s development is harmonious. Any underdevelopment of a function or slow operation of any process can lead to an imbalance in speech development. All these principles allow us to take into account the specifics of working with this defect.

Alalia classification

Modern speech therapy distinguishes two forms in the classification of alalia - expressive (motor) and impressive (sensory). There is alalia that combines these two forms - sensorimotor (mixed type).

Expressive or motor – systemic underdevelopment of expressive speech of a central organic nature. This is due to the insufficient development of language operations.

Impressive or sensory alalia is a speech disorder that has a central pathogenesis. A child with this diagnosis is unable to understand speech addressed to him due to the malfunction of the speech-hearing analyzer.

Each of these types has its own treatment method. Without proper therapy, the sensory type is more dangerous for a child's development than the motor type. Based on neurophysiology, neurochemistry and psycholinguistics, methods for correcting all types of alalia have been developed. But the child’s parents must prepare themselves for long and hard work.

To make it easier to monitor speech development, speech therapists recommend a convenient and simple diary, where you should write down all the baby’s new words. You can download this questionnaire, fill it out and continue further. Be sure to take it with you to your appointment with a specialist - with its help you can quickly form a general impression of your child’s speech skills

Symptoms

With a form of disorder such as sensory alalia, the child is unable to understand speech that was addressed to him. If the disorder is severe, then the child may experience absolute indifference to any sounds, regardless of the nature of their origin. The patient does not respond to his name and cannot distinguish the speech of an adult from any other sounds in space. If the form of the disorder is mild, then the child can demonstrate understanding of individual words from everyday life.

With sensory alalia, the child’s speech activity is quite high, but he utters only simple sounds, the meaning of which cannot be understood by others. The child is not able to repeat words after adults, and he also cannot compare objects and words.

A distinctive feature of this type of alalia is the repeated repetition of any sounds without understanding the meaning of what was said.

What is sensory alalia

Sensory (impressive) alalia is a severe form of speech development, in which both understanding and speaking suffer, and a number of symptoms of the motor type of the disease are observed. According to medical statistics, in the total number of children suffering from problems with the speech apparatus, the motor type accounts for 90% of cases, while the sensory type accounts for only the remaining 10%.

Sensory alalia is a violation of a child’s understanding of the speech of others. Expressive speech (the ability to speak coherently) cannot develop in a child under such circumstances. Some believe that sensory alalia is an inability to speak due to a violation of the articulatory apparatus. However, the speech impairment here is secondary, that is, due to a lack of understanding of the speech of others, due to problems with phonemic hearing.

A child with good hearing cannot put into words the sounds that he hears from adults or pronounces himself. Therefore, he is unable to reproduce them.

With this type, damage or underdevelopment of the speech-hearing analyzer is observed. This leads to serious disruptions in analytical and synthetic activities. The sounds that the child hears are not different to him. He is unable to recognize words or even individual sounds or syllables.

Causes of sensory alalia

This disorder is caused by lesions of the brain, namely certain zones located in the cortical part of it, which are responsible for the speech apparatus, speech analysis, and understanding of sounds. The main factors that can lead to this are:

1. Fetal pathologies that appear during pregnancy. Gestation can be complicated by hypoxia, infections, and malnutrition. Disturbances in the development of the fetal central nervous system may occur when consuming alcohol or drugs.
2. Disturbance of the central nervous system during childbirth. The fetus can suffer damage to the nervous system if the obstetrician acts incorrectly. During childbirth, the baby may suffer a head injury.
3. Diseases in the postnatal period. They can occur in the first years of the baby.

There are other reasons that can also cause such a speech disorder. Diagnosis can only be made after a comprehensive examination of the child. The baby should be examined by a speech therapist, pediatrician, neurologist, child psychologist, and otolaryngologist.

How to identify sensory alalia

To assess the state of the brain of a child who is suspected of having alalia, it is necessary to conduct an MRI of the brain and an EEG. All these research methods are absolutely harmless to the child and do not pose any health hazard.

It is necessary to clearly distinguish between sensory alalia and possible hearing loss. This should be done by a qualified otolaryngologist. To do this, he performs audiometry and otoscopy. Diagnostics should also determine the severity of existing disorders.

What are the symptoms of sensory alalia?

With this disorder, the understanding of speech addressed to the baby primarily suffers. He is unable to understand what is being said to him. When severe, the child shows complete indifference to surrounding sounds, regardless of the nature of their origin. Such children are unable to distinguish speech from other sounds and do not respond to their name. With a mild degree, the child can understand some everyday words.

A child suffering from this speech disorder has high speech activity, but it consists of simple (babbling) sounds and interjections. The meaning of this stream of sounds and words is incomprehensible to the people around. The child’s speech is more like a “word salad.”

One of the distinctive signs of the sensory type of the disease is pronounced echolalia - the repetition of individual sounds without understanding their meaning. It is difficult or even impossible for a child with such a speech disorder to repeat words spoken by an adult. The child is not able to correlate the word and the object it means.

Alaliks are characterized by a large number of speech errors. They indicate phonetic insufficiency, which is manifested by incorrect placement of stress, omission of sounds or their replacement with others. The child cannot control his own speech and makes mistakes in it.

Causes

The reason for the appearance of sensory alalia in a child is damage to certain areas of the brain that are located in the cortical part. These zones are responsible for the speech apparatus, understanding and analysis of audible sounds. The following factors can lead to such a violation:

• Diseases that arise in the first years of a child’s life.
• Central nervous system disorders that arose during complicated childbirth.
• Fetal pathologies that appeared during pregnancy.

A speech disorder such as sensory alalia can also be caused by other reasons. Diagnosis of the disease is possible only after a complete examination of the baby by specialists such as a neurologist, speech therapist and psychologist.

How to correct sensory alalia

It is necessary to correct sensory alalia only using an integrated approach. It consists of:

• medications prescribed by a neurologist;
• neurocorrection;
• classes with a speech pathologist;
• classes with a speech therapist;
• working with a child psychologist;
• physiotherapy, occupational therapy;
• special speech therapy massage.

Comprehensive assistance

Doctors prescribe nootropic drugs, neuropeptides, neuroprotectors, vitamins. These drugs have a positive effect on the central nervous system as a whole. Additional measures may include massages, exercise therapy, and medicinal baths.

Logotherapy

The goal here is the formation of auditory perception, the development of the ability to analyze the speech and words of others. In the first stages, the baby’s chaotic speech slows down, his perseverance and attentiveness increase.

Neuropsychological correction

Here, the development of deficit functions and thinking occurs, the baby’s memory improves, and activity appears in exploring the world around them. All these treatment components are selected and prescribed by specialists, taking into account age, severity of the disease, causes and a number of other physiological characteristics. A prerequisite for successful therapy is training with a speech pathologist.

Corrective measures can be selected only after a comprehensive diagnosis. The outcome of therapy depends on the timing of detection of this speech disorder. The optimal age when it is desirable to begin correction is considered to be 2-3 years.

Treatment prognosis and preventive measures

The prognosis of the result is determined by how early the problem was identified and only the doctor who is caring for the baby can talk about it. Logotherapy will help only if the entire plan of correctional work, consisting of a medical as well as a psychological component, is followed.

Timely initiation of therapy and strictly observed correction make it possible to smooth out disorders of the speech apparatus and prevent deviations in the future.

In case of late application, the likelihood of receiving a fully formed speech is sharply reduced. In the absence of corrective measures, speech delay can lead to poor socialization of the baby. As a result, psychological disorders may appear. Measures to prevent sensory alalia are carried out during pregnancy, and then at an early age of the baby.

Differences between sensory alalia and the motor type of speech impairment

Auditory attention with this disorder is reduced or completely absent. The speech of adults is perceived indistinctly, as a set of chaotic sounds. Therefore, there is no desire to imitate, repeat words, syllables, sounds.

Children with sensory alalia have increased speech activity. This distinguishes them from children with a motor type of speech disorder. Children with a sensory type talk a lot, maintaining the correct intonation.

In this case, the speech motor analyzer is not damaged. However, the speech of such children is unstable in sound composition. It contains many isolated fragments of words and meaningless phrases. Such speech is incomprehensible to others. In some cases, echolalia is observed - repetition of individual words and sounds without understanding their meanings.

Often the correlation between heard and spoken words is not formed. The name cannot be assigned to a specific item. Children with normal development of the speech apparatus remember the name of an object after 3-5 repetitions.

For alaliq with a sensory type of disease, this requires a minimum of 25-30 repetitions. The child cannot repeat the word spoken by the parent. Adults regard this as stubbornness on the part of the child.

The degree of impairment of understanding may vary. There may be a complete misunderstanding of speech, or a misunderstanding of individual sounds and words. Understanding speech is situational. One phrase can be understood in different ways.

Sensory alalia is increased speech activity with low understanding of it by others. The baby has poor control over his own speech. Symptoms of sensory alalia:

• high excitability;
• poor behavior control;
• secondary delay in intellectual development.

Children suffering from this disorder have difficulty interacting with other people. It is difficult to influence them with words and beliefs, it is difficult for them to explain something. These factors explain the baby's uncontrollability.

It is typical for a sensory type that even specialists can often confuse it with autism. In the professional circle of speech therapists, there is an opinion to replace the term “sensory alalia” with “sensory disintegration.” Therapy for this disease begins with the sensory component. This is dictated by the fact that the child first begins to develop an understanding of speech, and only after that does the ability to pronounce sounds and words appear.

Forecast, preventive measures

When alalia is detected in a child, it is important to start therapy as early as possible. This will not only significantly smooth out existing speech disorders, but also reduce the risk of developing deviations in the future. Only the attending physician can give a prognosis, since this is very individual and depends on many factors: the severity of the disease, the degree of neglect, the presence of associated complications, and the individual characteristics of the child’s body.

The chance that a child will be able to acquire formed, full-fledged speech with sensory alalia is significantly reduced when contacting a specialist late. Lack of therapy can aggravate the situation and cause poor socialization of the child in the future.

It is appropriate to take measures to prevent sensory alalia not only during pregnancy, but also in the first few years of a child’s life.

What is motor alalia

Motor alalia - or expressive in other words - is due to the fact that it is associated with motor (movement) disorders. The main problems in speech development are poor mastery of language operations and insufficient vocabulary. For example, motor alalia in a 3-year-old child is expressed in the inability to express his thoughts, words, and individual sounds. It is difficult for him to form words, phrases and use them correctly.

Such children have normal mobility of the organs responsible for speech. But there is difficulty in motor skills and abilities. A child can lick ice cream with his tongue, but cannot lift his tongue up at the request of an adult or parent.

Understanding the speech of others, the baby is powerless in reproducing his native language. The delay affects exclusively the speech apparatus. If there is a long-term delay, secondary mental retardation may appear. This is smoothed out with the formation of speech and its development, complication.

A characteristic symptom of the motor type of alalia is the inability to repeat speech heard from adults. In particularly difficult situations, the child cannot repeat even the simplest sounds, such as “AU”, “BA”, “PA”, although he understands the spoken speech of adults. The more complex the syllable, the more difficult it is to repeat. Children suffering from such speech disorders usually have neurological or mental disorders.

Neurological symptoms may include awkwardness, poor coordination, and lack of physical activity. Poor fine motor skills of the fingers may be observed - it is difficult to fasten buttons or tie shoelaces.

Children with motor alalia find it difficult to play with other children. It is difficult for them to jump well, play ball and do other movements that are easy for healthy children.

In some cases, the opposite effect may be observed, that is, increased activity. It depends on the location of the brain lesion. In this case, children may be hyperactive, easily excitable, and excessively fussy, but at the same time they get tired quickly.

Mental disorders with motor alalia

Deviations in the emotional-volitional sphere may be observed. This manifests itself in excessive touchiness, a tendency to violent reactions, frequent tears, hysterics, and reluctance to have contacts and communication with other people. Such symptoms can be expressed in:

• memory impairment;
• poor concentration;
• slow development of thought processes;
• visuospatial disorders;

Children with motor alalia have difficulty concentrating on any activity or object. They are very quickly distracted by other unimportant objects or events. It is extremely difficult to interest such a child in anything. It is difficult for such children to remember rhymes, numbers, and names of the days of the week.

Possible mental disorders

Motor alalia is accompanied by various deviations that affect various areas of the child’s interaction with the outside world. A child with such a disorder reacts violently to everything, often cries and becomes hysterical, and does not want to have any contact with others. He also has:

• thought processes occur more slowly;
• memory is impaired;
• there is a deterioration in concentration;
• visuospatial impairments are present.

Such children study worse, it is more difficult for them to remember any facts, as they are often distracted and cannot concentrate.

Mixed type - sensorimotor alalia

In most cases, a mixed type of alalia is observed - sensorimotor. To understand what sensorimotor alalia is, we will describe the classic clinical picture. The child spoke late and has difficulties in forming speech. The vocabulary (both active and passive) is quite meager. Understanding of spoken speech is poor.

Social adaptation skills are impaired, which often makes it difficult to differentiate sensorimotor alalia from autism spectrum disorders. There may be a fear of loud sounds, and obsessive movements are common. But nevertheless, this type is treatable and correctable.

Diagnosis of alalia

Speech therapists sometimes find it difficult to diagnose alalia. There are different ways of making a diagnosis, which are designed to complement each other:

1. History – collection of information from parents and communication with the child. Alalia can be suspected if at least three characteristic symptoms are present.
2. Differential diagnosis. It is necessary to conduct an examination with a number of specialists of a narrow profile. The otolaryngologist must rule out hearing problems, and the psychoneurologist must give his opinion on the mental state. A child psychologist should evaluate him for autism.
3. Dynamic examination. When starting correction, the speech therapist must monitor the dynamics of speech development. Based on the information received, the speech therapist can correct the previously made diagnosis.

Diagnosis using MRI and EEG is common. These studies reveal organic lesions and disorders.

Recommendations for conducting classes

In addition to the speech therapist, a defectologist should also work with alalik. Because, in addition to difficulties with speech, he also has disturbances in the emotional-volitional sphere. A defectologist pays more attention to the correction of higher mental functions and personality characteristics.

It is also necessary to be observed by a neurologist, because the cause of the defect is organic damage to certain areas of the cerebral cortex. He will prescribe appropriate medication to help your child perform better.

During the first lessons it is very important to establish contact. The adult’s task is to arouse the child’s desire to communicate. The classes should have a calm, relaxing atmosphere. Praise your child for any achievements, create a situation of success, then he will remain interested in activities.

Clinical picture and behavioral characteristics

In the absence of verbal communication with children or adults, the child experiences psychological discomfort. Children from a very early age use gestures to express their emotions and desires.

Gradually, they begin to connect speech to this, which becomes more complex as they grow older.

A child with alalia does not have this opportunity; it is difficult for him to explain what he wants from an adult. The degree of difficulty may vary, but there are three levels of underdevelopment of the speech apparatus:

1. Complete lack of speech.
2. There are initial signs of speech development. The baby has some words or sounds in its reserve and can make words from them, but such a reserve is extremely limited.
3. There is an extended speech with fragments of weak development of the speech system. The vocabulary in this case is large, but the words are pronounced in a distorted way, and there are defects in the pronunciation of certain sounds.

These levels are not related to the child's age. At 5 years old he can be at the first level. These impairments inevitably affect oral speech and, later, the ability to write and read.

Children have difficulty remembering letters and numbers. They confuse them, interfere with each other. This further complicates the development of speech ability. The child understands everyday speech. It is simple for him and does not require grammatical rules.

The child can understand simple requests, such as closing the door or taking a book, based on the current situation. He understands that if the door to the room is closed, and his mother suddenly spoke about it, then some manipulations need to be done with it.

Intuitively, the baby will open the door. But whether he understands exactly the meaning of words at this moment depends on the severity of the disease. At difficult stages, he may not understand at all what adults tell him.

Alalia correction

Children suffering from alalia have difficulties in raising them. Some parents may treat such children unfairly. They do not understand all the problems that the baby faces along the way. It is important to realize that such children require a special approach based on calm, patience, and understanding.

If a parent notices the first symptoms of alalia, they should immediately seek help from specialists. The sooner a problem is identified, the easier it is to deal with it. Timely correction will reduce the risk of complications.

The treatment of these disorders includes various techniques and methods. There are psychological, pedagogical, and medicinal approaches. The technique of transcranial electrical stimulation has a special contribution to the restoration of speech capabilities. Correction stages based on special classes must also go through:

• gymnastics;
• Speech therapy rhythm classes (logorhythmics);
• artistic and technical classes,
• reading;
• writing classes;
• speech therapy classes;
• memory training;
• special classes aimed at attention and perception;

In special correctional centers and speech therapy schools, special medical and psychological therapies are used. The drug approach is primarily aimed at stimulating and shaping damaged brain centers. Experts note the effectiveness of some procedures:

• DMV;
• IRT;
• hydrotherapy;
• laser therapy;
• electrophoresis;
• magnetic therapy;
• electropuncture;
• transcranial electrical stimulation.

The correction program is selected individually and must take into account all the characteristics of the child. The recovery process should influence the pathology itself and its accompanying diagnoses.

Treatment of motor alalia in children

When treating, emphasis should be placed on the development of the child’s motor skills, his thinking, and his ability to remember. Since this disease has a systemic nature of occurrence, the speech therapy approach is adjusted to the full coverage of sound-letter productions, visualization, and the ability to concentrate attention on something. This should be a whole range of measures that have an impact on:

• speech stimulation;
• meaningfulness of speech;
• formation and expansion of vocabulary;
• grammatical development of speech.

Multidisciplinary specialists, not just speech therapists, take part in treatment and correction. A child with alalia needs to be taught the alphabet and letters as early as possible. These skills will help to better develop memory, teach how to form words from individual sounds, and control speech.

Stages of speech therapy assistance

Regardless of the form of alalia and the structure of the defect, speech therapy work to overcome this disorder consists of four stages:

1. Preparatory. At this stage, the speech therapist forms the prerequisites for speech activity. The specialist creates situations that encourage the child to communicate. It also forms his understanding of the importance of speech in a person’s life. At the preparatory stage, work is carried out to develop the tempo-rhythmic aspect of speech and higher mental functions.
2. At the second stage, initial speech skills are formed. They work to expand and clarify the vocabulary, teach the child to relate a word to an object. The speech therapist teaches the child to recognize words by their sound design and corrects sound pronunciation. In addition, they give exercises to generalize and classify objects.
3. The goal of the third stage is the formation of a statement as the main speech unit. The speech therapist focuses on correcting grammatical structure and teaching the child how to structure a statement.
4. At the fourth stage, the concept of the communicative and cognitive functions of speech is formed. The speech therapist gives more tasks for the formation of coherent speech - this is its planning, developing self-control skills. The specialist teaches alalik to choose speech means to form a statement.

The speech therapist selects exercises for each stage in accordance with the form of alalia. Taking into account the peculiarities of the structure of the defect, the specialist will be able to organize the work in such a way that it is possible to achieve high results and maximally correct deficiencies in speech development.

Why does alalia occur?

Alalia can result from asphyxia of the newborn, prematurity, or birth injuries. Sometimes this disorder occurs in children after premature or prolonged labor. Provoking factors can be complications during pregnancy and childbirth, perinatal pathologies. The causes of alalia are usually:

• infectious diseases (infection occurred in utero or during childbirth);
• hypoxia;
• asphyxia;
• toxicosis;
• fetal injury (fall or blow of a pregnant woman);
• TBI during childbirth or pregnancy;
• risk of spontaneous abortion;
• a number of chronic diseases in women (heart failure, pulmonary failure, hypertension and a number of others.

Among the etiopathogenetic factors for the onset of the disease, it is necessary to highlight encephalitis, meningitis, head injuries, and a number of somatic diseases affecting the central nervous system. A number of scientists associate alalia with heredity. Alalik children are seriously different from mentally retarded children. As speech develops, their mental retardation disappears.

Diagnostics

To diagnose alalia, consultation with doctors such as a neurologist, pediatrician, otolaryngologist, and psychologist is necessary. In rare cases, a visit to a neurosurgeon is required. Consultation helps to identify the peculiarities of the child’s speech development.

First of all, anamnesis is collected, including standard questions about the condition of the mother during pregnancy and the child. Differential diagnosis is also necessary in order to exclude other diseases of the speech apparatus.

To identify brain damage, you will need to conduct one of the studies, for example: EEG, X-ray, MRI, echoencephalography.

If a child is diagnosed with sensory alalia, it is necessary to exclude hearing loss. For this purpose, otoscopy, audiometry and some other studies are performed.

Home therapy for alalia

In addition to classes with specialized specialists, you can conduct additional classes at home. To get rid of the disease, the parent must focus as much as possible on his baby and help him. There are some effective methods designed specifically for patients:

• The baby must learn to understand speech by ear. The parent names the object, the child must show it. If he showed it wrong, you need to show it correctly. This exercise is repeated many times for alaliks before he understands what is required of him. Bright toys and colored figurines are suitable for such activities.
• If the vocabulary is wide, train him to pronounce the names of objects by showing them.
• You need to talk to children suffering from alalia more often. Parents' speech should be clear, correct and not too fast. With sensory alalia, words must be accompanied by a demonstration of corresponding pictures.
• Show the letters. And then say words starting with these letters. Ask your child to show the letter with which the word begins and pronounce the whole word.

Take your child a few books with bright illustrations and get him interested in reading. Tell interesting stories and show what the main characters look like. Educational games with adults can help.

Possible complications and consequences

Primary manifestations of this disease become noticeable as early as 2 years. If treatment is not taken at the right time, the disease will continue to develop further. The main complications include:

• disturbance in coordination of movements;
• high excitability;
• fine motor disorders;
• poor understanding of adult speech;
• lack of self-service;
• numerous grammatical errors in your own speech;
• mental retardation;
• communication problems.

Work with alaliks is carried out in a playful way. The patient should not experience discomfort or psychological pressure on himself. Correct correction work is the key to getting rid of problems associated with alalia. Success of therapy is likely when started early - at 3-4 years. An integrated approach is needed. With minor damage to the speech center, this pathology can be completely cured.

Prevention of alalia

This disease can be congenital or acquired. Scientists have identified certain patterns in the appearance of this serious disease. It can appear after fetal hypoxia, a number of complications during pregnancy, and early childbirth.

Prevention of natural causes is impossible or extremely difficult. The baby may suffer a head injury during childbirth. Alalia is also caused by etiopathogenetic factors. These include:

• rickets;
• viral encephalitis;
• TBI;
• malnutrition;
• meningitis;
• viral diseases and complications after them.

A number of these reasons can be completely avoided, thereby minimizing the risk of pathology. These are the following measures:

• parents should give up bad habits;
• Before planning a pregnancy, undergo all the necessary tests to identify diseases in the mother.
• During pregnancy, the mother should avoid infection with viral infections and exacerbation of chronic diseases as much as possible.
• use medications that are safe for the fetus.
• undergo all required examinations during pregnancy.
• After birth, it is necessary to talk and engage in educational games.
• If symptoms of mental or neurological disorders appear, immediately contact a speech therapist, child psychologist or neurologist.
• carry out vaccinations prescribed by doctors, including for mother.

Such preventive measures will ensure good development of the nervous system, development of speech and motor skills.

Prognosis and prevention

The result depends on the type of motor alalia, the severity, and the age at which the disease was diagnosed and therapy was started. If all these conditions are met and adequate treatment is provided, the prognosis is favorable. Children catch up with their peers in speech and general development, acquire communication skills and even study in a regular school.

Severe motor alalia is difficult to correct, especially if it is diagnosed late. But with due persistence and following the doctor’s recommendations regarding treatment, it is possible to achieve significant progress.

Prevention of motor alalia begins during pregnancy planning. The expectant mother needs to eliminate bad habits, adjust her diet and daily routine. It is necessary to approach childbirth adequately and prevent injuries. It is also important to create favorable conditions for the development of the child in the postpartum period and subsequently, to devote time to developmental activities.

And of course, it is necessary to consult a doctor at the first signs of deviations in speech development in order to undergo a timely diagnosis and identify the cause.

Massage technique for alalia

Massage has a positive effect on the motor type of the disease. It has a number of positive effects: reduces increased muscle tone;

• coordinates the muscles of the face and tongue;

• improves articulation;

• improves tissue sensitivity;
• reduces salivation (excessive salivation, drooling).

The massage should be done with your fingers. Movements should be slow and careful. There should be at least 10 such sessions per course. The massage technique includes tapping on the lips, tongue, and inner surface of the cheeks.

You also need to carry out circular and pressing movements along the surface of the cheeks. It is worth seeking help from specialists who will prescribe a course of speech therapy massage and determine its features, frequency, and specific movements.

Correction methods

Sensory alalia can be corrected only with an integrated approach, which includes:

• taking the necessary medications prescribed by a neurologist;
• neuropsychological correction;
• classes with a speech therapist-defectologist;
• conducting audiotherapy according to the A. Tomatis method (as prescribed by a neurologist);

It is important that the assistance is comprehensive, therefore, in addition to taking medications that have a positive effect on the central nervous system, a specialist may prescribe comprehensive neurological rehabilitation.

Corrective work of a speech therapist

All corrective work must be carried out consistently and comprehensively. Treatment is carried out in several stages of a certain sequence.

Stage one

Training in distracting noises not related to speech. This may be the sound of a bell, rattles or other objects. Sounds must have different tonality, timbre, and volume.

Stage two

Teaching individual letters and sounds. The baby must learn to understand and pronounce simple sounds consisting of individual letters, for example, “rrrrrr”.

Stage three

Learning to pronounce syllables, simple words.

Stage four

Learn to pronounce words. There is training in composing simple word combinations and phrases.

Stage five

Increasing active and passive reserve, complication of speech patterns.

Forecast for overcoming the diagnosis

The key to successful therapy is early diagnosis of the disease. Speech therapists dealing with this problem are convinced that if correction begins at the age of 3-4 years, the child has a good chance of full recovery.

The main success factors are the correctly selected course of treatment, its timeliness, and the experience of specialists conducting corrective work.

At an early age, thanks to the plasticity of the brain and nervous system, speech functions can be transferred from affected areas to other centers.

It is also worth knowing that the more damage to the speech centers, the more difficult and longer the recovery will be. Children with motor alalia have a better chance of completely eliminating the problems, although both the sensory and mixed types are more difficult to treat. At school age, such children may encounter difficulties in writing, reading, and adding numbers.