No parent wants to be delivered bad news like their newborn child suffered a birth injury during delivery. Unfortunately, some parents must contend with the news that their newborn suffers from a condition known as childhood dysarthria. One cause of childhood dysarthria is a poor delivery by a physician or medical staff. If your child was injured due to the negligence of a medical practitioner, contact an experienced Baltimore birth injury attorney today.
At Bennett & Heyman, P.A., we are dedicated to providing you and your family with the legal representation that you deserve. A serious birth injury is a tragedy that no child should have to endure due to the negligence of a physician. That is why our firm is here to help you hold a negligent medical practitioner accountable for their actions. To schedule a free legal consultation, contact Bennett & Heyman, P.A. at (410) 429-7856, or contact us online.
Signs and Symptoms of Childhood Dysarthria
Childhood dysarthria refers to a motor speech disorder that occurs because a child suffered an injury to the muscles that control their speech. Damage to these muscles can result in a child not developing their mouth and respiratory muscles, which results in a child being unable to speak. In extreme cases, a child’s mouth muscles may become so underdeveloped that they cannot move their mouth.
When looking for signs or symptoms that your child might be affected by dysarthria, you should be aware that the symptoms can vary depending on the damage to the child’s nervous system. Copious amounts of drool and difficulty eating are just two signs of dysarthria that could affect your child.
One symptom of dysarthria to look out for is a child exhibiting slurred or strange speech patterns. For example, if you notice that your child must speak extremely fast in order to get their words out, this could be a sign of dysarthria. Other signs and symptoms of childhood dysarthria include:
- Speech manifesting as alarmingly loud sounds or nearly inaudible sounds
- Great difficulty annunciating various types of words
- Hypernasal or hoarse speech patterns, or varying levels of each
The issue with many of the symptoms of childhood dysarthria is that they can be confused for common speech patterns that young children may exhibit. To be sure of whether your child suffers from dysarthria, you should seek the advice of an experienced physician. Childhood dysarthria can often be detected by performing a physical examination or by having an MRI or CT scan to evaluate the brain patterns of a child.
To learn more about childhood dysarthria, continue reading and speak with an experienced Maryland birth injury attorney.
Determining Liability for Childhood Dysarthria
There are several different circumstances that can cause childhood dysarthria. For example, if a child suffered a stroke, this can cause enough damage to their nervous system that will cause them to develop childhood dysarthria. Other issues that may cause childhood dysarthria include:
- ALS
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Huntington’s Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
This is not an exhaustive list. There are other factors and disorders that could lead to the development of dysarthria.
Damage to a newborn’s nervous system is another factor that could cause a newborn to develop childhood dysarthria. It is the duty of a physician and the assisting medical staff that a mother’s pregnancy and delivery goes as smoothly as possible. When a physician fails to provide a mother and her child with the cautious and adequate treatment necessary, this can cause a child to be injured during childbirth or perhaps even before the delivery.
One possibility that could result in a newborn suffering nerve damage that leads to childhood dysarthria is the improper use of delivery-assisting tools. For example, some doctors will make use of forceps to aid in the delivery of a baby. When used incorrectly, a doctor could cause serious harm to a child’s body by applying too much force.
If you need help determining whether a doctor committed medical malpractice, you should seek the aid of an experienced attorney. Our firm can help you gather evidence that can help prove whether the physician or hospital in charge of your pregnancy failed to take the necessary steps to ensure you had a safe pregnancy and delivery.
Work with Our Trusted Baltimore Birth Injury Lawyers to File Your Medical Malpractice Claim
If your baby was injured during childbirth, consult with an experienced Baltimore lawyer for childhood dysarthria. The legal team at Bennett & Heyman, P.A. possess over 70 years of combined legal experience, and we would be honored to use that experience to represent you. To schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal options, contact Bennett & Heyman, P.A. at (410) 429-7856.
