Art Therapy Can Help Cerebral Palsy Patients with Speech
A four-year study by Polish scientists seems to show that art therapy can help a range of cerebral palsy patients with some speech impairments to produce more intelligible speech.
The study’s facilitators produced a homogenous group, defined the goals, and led participants in a series of sessions where they practiced drawing and tracing, as well as some sculpture and other artistic tasks.
The result? Many of the study participants started to overcome dysarthia, a speech condition where actual changes in the vocal structure make accurate expressions sound abnormal.
An explanation of the study in the International Medical Science Monitor does an amazing job describing in detail how dysarthia works, as well as detailing some specific effects of types of cerebral palsy. The document also shows that the goal of the scientists was to generate a “necessary mental state” composed of “openness, a sense of play, and a desire for self-expression” that helped participants deal with what study writers say is both an environmental condition, where cerebral palsy patients often do not get the same stimuli or incentives for speech at an early age, and an actual brain physiology condition.
This groundbreaking research has already been picked up at the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The idea of art therapy for pediatric disabilities is reflected in public programs like this KinderArt instructional online resource.
Another interesting point made in the journal publication is that the study utilized a “top down” approach where the creation of art led to a moderation of speech, rather than classic “bottom up” approaches that try to moderate speech through direct command-based vocal training or conditioning. All in all, this fascinating study reveals a lot about how the brain works, and how this knowledge can be put to use helping children with speech impediments to overcome the struggles that they face. One of the great aspects of this is that art therapy is useful for general development as well, and as a visual-tactile activity, it could be combined with some of the virtual gaming type treatments that are also popular for helping improve mobility in cerebral palsy patients. Look for more of this art therapy method in new programs for those with CP and other similar conditions that put limits on vocal expression.
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