«Dad, why have I forgotten how to speak?»

Even children can lose their speech and from one day to the next nothing is as it was. Very few people are aware of «infantile aphasia» and yet this illness has a massive impact on the lives of affected children and their families. But what exactly is behind it and what can affected parents do?

Enzo had a serious cycling accident. He was hospitalised for a long time with a traumatic brain injury. After six months of rehabilitation, he was able to go back to school. The road was rocky and arduous, but the many therapies and his strong will to persevere helped him. The 8-year-old now pursues his favourite hobbies, such as skateboarding and swimming, without any problems. He also sits next to his old classmates at school again. But it has taken him a lot of time and energy to catch up on the material he missed. Concentration and learning at school are no longer as easy for him as they used to be. Especially when it comes to reading and speaking, Enzo realises that something is still not quite right. What really happened in his accident and what does it have to do with his speech?

What exactly is childhood aphasia?

Childhood aphasia, or more precisely an acquired speech disorder, is not something you are born with, but is caused by damage to the brain. The causes can be an accident, stroke, tumour or meningitis. In 80 per cent of cases, childhood aphasia occurs as a result of an accident, i.e. a traumatic brain injury. Important areas of speech in the brain can also be affected, temporarily or permanently. Experts only speak of infantile aphasia from the age of around two years. This is because, by definition, a child's language must have developed to the point where it has acquired its first words.

In contrast, mutism can be understood as a complete or partial (selective mutism) loss of speech. This silence often has psychological causes and exhibits different symptoms to childhood aphasia.

How does childhood aphasia manifest itself in speech?

Childhood aphasia can lead to disorders in word finding and language comprehension. Speaking, comprehension, writing and reading skills as well as gestures and facial expressions can be affected to varying degrees. However, it does not affect the child's intelligence.

Very often, children fall completely silent after their traumatic event. This is called «post-traumatic mutism». The duration of the silence can vary depending on the location and type of injury to the brain. After this «mutistic» phase, the children begin to formulate words and sentences again. However, it is often not just the words that are missing; pronunciation itself can also be affected. Enzo used to be a real chatterbox, but now he can't always think of the right word and sometimes he doesn't really understand what the other children are trying to tell him.

Childhood aphasia can have a massive impact on the lives of affected children and their parents. (Picture: Anja Petri)
Childhood aphasia can have a massive impact on the lives of affected children and their parents. (Picture: Anja Petri)

How does childhood aphasia affect everyday (school) life?

Childhood aphasia can lead to many different reading and writing disorders that have a major impact on everyday school life. In addition, behavioural problems such as impulsivity and anxiety are very common. Concentration, attention and memory disorders as well as perceptual disorders and movement restrictions are not uncommon.

Problems often only become noticeable with increased demands at school. (Picture: Anja Petri)
Problems often only become noticeable with increased demands at school. (Picture: Anja Petri)

All of these difficulties place a burden on the child and their environment, which can have an impact on their psyche, family life, social life and education. The child's impairment can place a heavy financial, temporal and emotional burden on the whole family. Enzo's mother reduced the percentage of her working hours, as therapy, tutoring and counselling were suddenly added to the family's daily routine. The illness also severely restricted the family's leisure activities.

Why do some problems persist?

Childhood aphasia often seems to be overcome after a period of rehabilitation. However, the higher the academic demands become, the greater the risk of «growing into the deficit». This means that the consequences of the illness often only become apparent as a result of increased demands, which only become apparent to the child at a later stage. The children thus grow into their deficit. This can even lead to behavioural disorders and anxiety, as well as depression or withdrawal from social life.

How is Enzo doing today, two years after the accident?

Enzo knows that he needs a little more time for everything and it is sometimes difficult when everyone speaks in confusion. Although everyone now understands him well and he can speak again without any problems from the others' point of view, he still goes to speech therapy from time to time. «That gives me security,» says Enzo and laughs.

What can you do as parents?

  • Sprechen Sie möglichst viel mit Ihrem Kind, auch wenn dieses sich weniger an dem Gespräch beteiligt.
  • Machen Sie sich bewusst, dass eine Sprachstörung keine Denkstörung ist und somit die Intelligenz und das Denken Ihres Kindes nicht betroffen sind.
  • Vermeiden Sie Über- und Unterforderung Ihres Kindes im Alltag und überprüfen Sie diese in der Schule.
  • Akzeptieren Sie mögliche Veränderungen im Verhalten Ihres Kindes und suchen Sie sich gegebenenfalls professionelle Hilfe.
  • Akzeptieren Sie auch Ihre eigenen Gefühle und Bedürfnisse und setzen Sie sich nicht unter Druck.
  • Tauschen Sie Ihre Probleme und Fragen mit anderen betroffenen Eltern aus.
  • Hilfreiche Links: 
    • www.aphasiker.de/aphasie/
    • www.aphasiker.de/angehoerige-betroffene/kinder/
    • www.aphasie.org/de
    • www.dbl-ev.de/logopaedie/stoerungen-bei-kindern
    • www.kispi.uzh.ch
Anja Petri studiert im 5. Semester Logopädie (BA) an der Interkantonalen Hochschule für Heilpädagogik (HfH) in Zürich.
Anja Petri is studying speech therapy (BA) in the 5th semester at the Intercantonal University of Applied Sciences for Special Needs Education (HfH) in Zurich.
Nicole Meyer studiert ebenfalls im 5. Semester Logopädie (BA) an der Interkantonalen Hochschule für Heilpädagogik (HfH) in Zürich.
Nicole Meyer is also studying speech therapy (BA) in the 5th semester at the Intercantonal University for Special Needs Education (HfH) in Zurich.

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