Cerebral Palsy Speech Therapy

Children and adults with cerebral palsy (CP) often need several types of therapy, including speech therapy. Because cerebral palsy can affect the muscles required to talk, this therapy can be critical to allowing those with CP to communicate and live the best life they possibly can.

Speech therapy is not free, nor are the many other treatments that those with CP often benefit from. You can secure compensation from parties who are liable for your child’s condition, and we want to help. Call the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance today so we can connect you with a Cerebral Palsy Attorney in our network who will fight for you and your child.

The Importance of Speech Therapy for Those With Cerebral Palsy

Speech issues are associated with many forms of cerebral palsy, including but not limited to spastic quadriplegia/quadriparesis. Parents want their child to live the fullest life possible, and being able to communicate is a critical step towards a better life.

Improvements achieved through speech therapy may help your child:

• Speak more clearly: Muscle tension and underdevelopment caused by cerebral palsy can make it difficult to speak clearly. Speech therapists can provide instruction and exercises that help your child speak more clearly and with less effort.
• Learn and improve sign language: Speech therapy plans are tailored to the patient. Those who are non-verbal may need to use sign language, and a qualified speech therapist can assist them in learning and improving their sign language skills.
• Learn to use communication devices: Various communication devices can enhance a patient’s ability to communicate with loved ones, employers, and everyone else they interact with. These devices can be complicated, especially at first, and a speech therapist will help your child learn assisted modes of communication.
• Improve their eating and swallowing: The muscles your child uses to speak may also play a role in eating and swallowing. Therefore, your child may be able to eat and drink more safely as a direct or secondary benefit of speech therapy.

The benefits of speech therapy often prove lifelong. In fact, someone with CP may need long-term speech therapy, as the physical rigors of cerebral palsy are, in many cases, lifelong.

A Person’s Ability to Communicate Is Central to Their Humanity

Those who don’t have speech-related impairments often take their ability to communicate for granted. When you or your child are born with CP, it becomes painfully clear how important the ability to communicate is. 

Because communication is so important to one’s quality of life, the benefits of speech therapy may foster in your child:

• Independence
• Self-esteem
• Relationships with parents 
• Relationships with friends, employers, and others in the child’s life
• General wellbeing

Parents also derive immense benefits from being able to communicate with their child. Therefore, the benefits of speech therapy may extend to the whole family.

Speech Therapy Is Typically One of Many Treatments Someone with CP Needs

The treatment regimen for someone with cerebral palsy can be extensive and rigorous. This is a serious disability that requires a multi-pronged treatment plan, which can include:

• Medication: Those with cerebral palsy may benefit from oral meds, injected solutions (including botox to relax muscles), and implanted pumps that continually release muscle relaxants. Whether your child needs some or all of these treatments, the cost can be high. The expense results, in part, from the fact that many patients need CP-related medications throughout their lives.
• Physical therapy: Physical therapy is one of the most important, beneficial, and noninvasive treatments for those with cerebral palsy. Stretches can help increase your child’s range of motion and decrease their muscle rigidity. Physical therapy may also strengthen muscles that are weakened because of the condition.
• Surgery: When someone with cerebral palsy has difficulty moving because of muscle stiffness or suffers debilitating pain, surgery may be an option for relief. A surgeon may cut nerves, alter tendons, or perform other procedures meant to improve your child’s physical state.
• Assistive devices: Medical technology has come a long way, and those with cerebral palsy have access to more assistive technology than ever. Orthotic devices, computers, vision aids, and hearing aids are among the resources someone with CP can benefit from. Such devices may be worth the cost, but the cost may still be exorbitant. 
• Mental health services: Especially as they get older, those with cerebral palsy may need mental health services. The psychological and emotional toll of having cerebral palsy is a heavy weight to carry, and your child may eventually need relief in the form of counseling or other mental health treatment.

Everyone with a disability like cerebral palsy requires a custom-tailored treatment plan. Your child’s treatment course may include services and items not listed here. The primary point is that your child’s care may be wide-ranging and costly.

The Financial Cost of Caring for Someone awith CP

Most parents experience the non-financial challenges of raising a disabled child most acutely. The shock of learning of the CP and the emotional and psychological difficulties that follow are often the most glaring consequences of the disability.

That said, the financial challenges of raising a disabled child are real. As you consider hiring an attorney, note that they will seek compensation for:

Medical Care and Mental Health Services

Parents have no fault in a child’s disability, yet they face the cost of that child’s care. Your attorney will work to ensure you don’t face the cost of treatment if someone’s negligence contributed to your child’s cerebral palsy.

Your lawyer will seek compensation for:

• The cost of all medical care, medications, medical devices, therapy, and other treatments your child requires
• The cost of any mental health services your child needs now or in the future (and any mental health services you require)

The lifetime cost of medical treatment for someone with CP may reach the high six figures, or perhaps even more. Therefore, expect medical costs to be a key feature of your lawyer’s settlement demands.

Caregiver Costs

If your child needs a part-time or full-time caregiver, your personal injury lawyer experienced in Cerebral Palsy attorney will calculate the cost of the care. You may also deserve compensation if you make professional sacrifices (and related financial sacrifices) to spend more time with your child. 

Special Education

Cerebral palsy can cause developmental delays. Even the physical symptoms alone may affect how your child learns.

If your child needs specialized education that is not free, your attorney will seek compensation covering their educational resources. 

The Cost of Raising an Adult with a Disability

If your child will never be fully independent, you must account for expenses associated with raising disabled adults. These expenses may include the cost of:

• Providing shelter (either in your home or elsewhere)
• Clothing
• Personal hygiene products
• Food
• Entertainment

You will also likely face the cost of dental hygiene, vision services, medical care, and every other service and item your adult child needs. 

The Non-Economic Cost of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy lawyers also account for the immense, world-altering, non-economic challenges that those with CP (and their loved ones) endure. If you pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit, you will be entitled to compensation covering:

Your Child’s Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering is inevitable when someone has cerebral palsy, and your child deserves financial acknowledgement of:

• Their physical pain
• Any depression they experience (especially as they grow older)
• Lack of self esteem
• Physical difficulties
• Developmental and cognitive challenges
• Their emotional anguish
• All other forms of pain and suffering related to their CP

Attorneys understand that pain and suffering has a cost, and they know how to calculate that cost.

Your Pain and Suffering

Parents suffer when their child has a disability. You can be grateful for and enjoy the gift of having your child while also recognizing that cerebral palsy may cause you:

• Emotional anguish
• Depression
• Exhaustion
• Psychological distress
• Emotional anguish
• Other types of pain and suffering

These types of hardship are nearly universal among families who face the challenge of pain and suffering. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer will understand the financial and non-financial challenges you face, and they will craft settlement demands that reflect those challenges.

Consider Whether Medical Malpractice Contributed to Your Child’s Condition

If you’re wondering why you would be entitled to compensation because of your child’s condition, consider that medical malpractice may be to blame for the disability. 

Medical malpractice occurs when one or more medical providers is negligent, resulting in harm. Negligence means that the responsible party did not honor their duty of care to the patient, which includes shielding them from avoidable harm (like cerebral palsy).

Some types of medical malpractice that may directly cause or contribute to CP include:

• Failing to provide attentive prenatal care to the mother
• Failing to diagnose a prenatal condition that can cause cerebral palsy
• Encouraging a mother to pursue any treatment that may have contributed to the cerebral palsy
• Committing an error during delivery, such as causing direct injury to the child
• Failing to attentively monitor the mother or child’s vital signs during delivery
• Failing to order an emergency C-section during labor

Some forms of infection can increase the risk of cerebral palsy in children. If a medical provider did not maintain sterile conditions or committed any other failure that may have caused an infection, they can also be responsible for medical malpractice.

It is not always easy to identify instances of medical malpractice. This is especially true if you do not have a background in medicine or medical malpractice law. An attorney experienced in Cerebral Palsy will review all relevant information and explain, in clear terms, whether you have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.

A Cerebral Palsy Attorney Will Be the Advocate Your Child Deserves

If your child has cerebral palsy, time is in short supply. You may also be physically, psychologically, and emotionally drained. You may also lack any significant medical or legal background, and these are all reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer to seek justice for your child and yourself.

When you work with a medical malpractice lawyer who focuses on cerebral palsy cases, they will:

Document All Malpractice

Your medical malpractice attorney may prove medical providers’ negligence with:

• Your testimony about the poor quality of care you and your child received
• Medical experts’ testimony about how negligent parties failed you and your child (these experts may even include other doctors)
• Medical records indicating that the negligent provider made one or more errors

Your lawyer will know what types of evidence will benefit your case. They may need to file legal documents to secure such evidence from the medical providers who caused your child’s CP.

Document Your Family’s Damages

Your legal team may prove your family’s damages using:

• Your testimony about the pain and suffering your child and you have experienced (as well as mental health experts’ testimony)
• Doctors’ testimony and records detailing your child’s symptoms and treatment
• Medical bills for your child’s treatment
• Economists’ projections about the cost of raising your child into adulthood

Lawyers are also familiar with the documentation relevant to cerebral palsy medical malpractice cases.

Calculate the Case Value

Your lawyer will consider the damages your family has already suffered. They will also calculate the cost of future damages, including but not limited to your child’s speech therapy.

Negotiate a Settlement

Most civil cases, including medical malpractice lawsuits, settle. Your lawyer will enter settlement negotiations with a precise financial target, and they will demand that amount from liable parties.

If a liable insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, suing will likely be an option for you. Your malpractice attorney will handle any necessary lawsuit and trial on your behalf.

Call the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance Today

A medical malpractice lawyer wants to hear your family’s story. This is an overwhelming time with many decisions to make on behalf of your child. These attorneys are compassionate, and many of them focus intently on getting financial resources for families faced with the cost of cerebral palsy.

Call the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance today so we can connect you with an attorney in our network who is experienced with Cerebral Palsy and will fight for you and your child. Our line is always open, so don’t wait to contact us.