Opieka logopedyczna nad dziećmi wcześniaczymi zagrożonymi wieloraką niepełnosprawnością

Abstract

The article is devoted to the assumptions of logopedic care of prematurely born children who are more likely to suffer from multiple disabilities than children born on time. The fact of being prematurely born is not synonymous with having a developmental disorder and consequently disability, but it increases the risk of various abnormalities including multiple developmental disorders. It is connected with impairments and immaturity of various systems and organs. Developmental disorders of prematurely born children include: cerebral palsy, mental retardation and sight and hearing impairments which may occur in an isolated form or jointly. These irregularities are often accompanied by developmental disorders of speech. Because speech is an entity which comprises competencies and abilities (biological and intellectual), all dysfunctions in the motor, intellectual and sensory development have a negative influence on the development of linguistic communication. Prematurely born children, depending on their needs, require care of various specialists, also the care of a speech therapist which should be directed at the impaired speech functions with regard to specific, often various problems of a child.