I was curious about trachs and the learning process for speech.
Our daughter had serious neurological issues at 18 months just when she was beginning to talk but has never spoken since. She recently had a trach implanted and that got me to thinking along with another trach baby I posted about HERE.
If a baby has a trach implanted, will they be able to learn speech? I am thinking possibly not since speech relies on one being able to hear the sounds one's self makes. And with a trach, speech is many times impossible.
The reason I ask is because of the baby I met in my link. It would be sad if she would never learn to speak because of the trach.
Steve
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i think it would be possible, but very difficult. i am parapalegic, had a trach for a month when my injury first happened, i could only whisper. if you ever saw christopher reeve on tv, he could talk with trach in, but only on, i believe, exhale, we were people who already knew how to talk.
steve t.
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Before I replied to this, I checked with a speech/language pathologist friend. She confirmed what I thought. The trach itself should NOT be an insurmountable hurdle. Neither of your posts indicate why Sara has a trach, but assuming it is there simply because she was born prematurely, it is likely it will someday be removed. Even before that happens she may be able to use a speaking valve with her trach. Kids trachs usually do not have a cuff (the "balloon" that seals the trach in the airway) so air can pass around the trach up to the voicebox. Or a trach with a hole on the top of the curved part to allow even more air up to the voicebox may be used.
That said she may have other issues that will delay/prevent any of this from occuring. Premature kids often have other issues that delay development in some areas, but the science keeps getting better. I knopw a young man who is enrolled in respiratory therapy school who had a trach for several years when he was born prematurely. His voice is a little hoarse, but otherwise he does as well as anyone! I was one of the respiratory therapists involved with his care after he first came home from the hospital. It's so cool to see what he is doing now!!
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