Communication and Children with Cerebral Palsy


Original Editor - Roelie Wolting
Top Contributors - Michelle Lee, Naomi O'Reilly, Kim Jackson, Laura Ritchie, Tarina van der Stockt, Admin, Simisola Ajeyalemi, Olajumoke Ogunleye, Evan Thomas and Lauren Lopez


 Introduction 

The information on this page has developed for you from the expert work of Roelie Wolting alongside the Enablement Cerebral Palsy Project and Handicap International Group.

Communication

Communication occurs when a sender transmits a message and a receiver understands the message. An effective communicator independently alternates as a sender and a receiver regardless of the demands of a conversation, including settings (e.g., community, school, work, home), conversational partners, and topics. All methods of communication performance are considered in determining the CFCS level. To find out more about the GFCS have a look at this page.

Methods and Challenges of Communication 

Here are a list of methods of communication and what challenges a child with cerebral palsy may come across:

Method	Challenge
Speaking	Coordination of mouth and tongue muscles/ people do not listen to them
Listening	Concentration
Writing	Fine motor skills
Showing / pointing at pictures	Fine motor skills / hand - eye co-ordination
Making gestures / sign language	Fine motor skills / motor planning
Body language / facial expression	Muscle control of body / face