Fractured Skull Can Cause Speech Difficulties
The skull plays a vital role, protecting the brain from trauma and the hazards of the outside world. Like other bones, the skull is prone to be injured in a traumatic accident. Unfortunately, if someone suffers a fractured skull, he or she can suffer serious complications. Some of these include post-concussive syndrome, serious infections, and even a traumatic brain injury. This injury can lead to speech difficulties. If someone has trouble speaking, this can lead to serious quality of life issues. Because of this, it is essential for everyone to understand how these speech difficulties happen.
How Do Speech Difficulties Happen?
Depending on the where the impact to the skull is sustained, different types of complications might arise. Some impacts of the skull may cause someone to suffer disorientation and confusion, leading to speech difficulties. In other situations, a fractured skull may lead to long-term speech issues via brain damage.
The brain is broken up into multiple lobes such as the occipital lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and temporal lobe. The temporal lobe controls speech. If an impact to the skull leads to temporal lobe damage, this may cause someone to have difficulty speaking.
Types of Speech Issues
Following a fractured skull, there are different types of speech issues that someone may develop. Because these speech disorders are treated differently, it is crucial for people to understand the differences among these types. Some of the speech problems that may develop following a fractured skull include:
- Apraxia of Speech: If someone has been diagnosed with apraxia of speech, there is an issue communicating signals from the brain to the mouth. The brain is responsible for the formation of speech signals while the mouth has to coordinate its muscles to produce the actual words. In apraxia of speech, this coordination breaks down.
- Broca’s Aphasia: Someone who has suffered damage to the front part of their temporal lobe after a skull fracture may develop Broca’s Aphasia. With this type of speech disorder, people can understand the language but cannot produce it themselves. People with Broca’s Aphasia cannot speak fluently.
- Wernicke’s Aphasia: Damage to the rear of the temporal lobe can cause the development of Wernicke’s Aphasia. In Wernicke’s Aphasia, the individual is unable to understand what is being spoken to them, but they can still speak fluently. Because they don’t know what is being said, their speech will be fluent but nonsensical.
These speech issues can be disheartening and frustrating for not only the individual but also their family members and friends. Fortunately, there are some treatment options.
Watch YouTube Video: Aphasia: The Disorder That Makes You Lose Your Words. This animated video explains how aphasia can affect all aspects of communication.
What are the Treatment Options?
The treatment of aphasia and other speech difficulties depends on the severity of the injury. In some situations, the aphasia will gradually resolve on its own. The skull fractures will heal, and inflammation within the brain itself will start to heal. As this happens, the neurons in the brain will communicate properly if the damage isn’t permanent.
In other cases, people might continue to suffer from aphasia months after the initial head injury. In this situation, individuals should start to work with a speech therapist. There are treatment options and support groups offered by trained medical professionals who can help people regain some of their baseline level of function.
Sacramento Fractured Skull Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Fractured Skull Lawyer. A fractured skull may cause people to develop difficulties with their speech. If a loved one has suffered a fractured skull in a severe accident, call me at (800) 404-5400 or (916) 921-6400 for my free, friendly legal guidance and advice.
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