Speech and Language Disorders Caused by Birth Injury – Birth Injury Lawyers in Detroit & Southfield Michigan

Speech Delays vs. Language Disorders

A speech delay affects the way a person produces words and speech disorders affect the physical ability to produce sounds. Speech disorders can include:

• Stuttering or stammering
• Lisps and slurred speech
• Apraxia, or brain damage impairing the motor skills that affect the child’s ability to form the sounds of speech correctly
• Dysarthria, or brain damage that causes muscle weakness in the child’s face, lips, tongue, throat, or chest

Language disorders impact the child’s ability to comprehend and communicate, such as:

• Difficulty understanding others
• Problems following directions
• Difficulty forming sentences
• Smaller vocabulary than other children of their age

Speech Delays and Language Disorders Caused by a Birth Injury

Occasionally, nurses and doctors can harm a baby during labor and delivery. Injury to the head, facial muscles, vocal cords, or brain can result in speech and language disorders. Trauma to the brain can hinder a child’s brain development and function.

Different types of birth injuries can manifest as speech and language disorders, the most common of which are:

• Lack of oxygen (asphyxia) leading to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) 
• Brain bleeds
• Meningitis, sepsis, or other infections
• Jaundice leading to kernicterus
• Dangerously low blood sugar

Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice

Injuries and trauma during labor and delivery occur even when doctors and nurses take measures to ensure a healthy birth. But medical professionals make mistakes – mistakes that can cause life-long injuries.

The effects of a birth-related brain injury may appear right away or later, as it happens with speech and language disorders. If you think that your child has speech and language issues caused at birth, speak to a lawyer right away about a possible medical malpractice action.

Examples of substandard medical care that could cause a speech or language delay are:

• Failing to detect and treat fetal distress
• Failing to schedule and perform an emergency cesarean section
• Failing to monitor and control oxygen levels
• Improperly using birth-assisting tools like forceps and vacuum extractors

Contact an Experienced Michigan Birth Injury Attorney

If your child has communication disorders and you suspect an obstetrician, midwife, or nurse is to blame, call Sommers Schwartz right away. We can help you investigate the facts, determine whether the medical professional may be liable for the injuries, and hold them accountable.

For more than four decades, the attorneys at our law firm have fought for injured children in Michigan and across the United States. We have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients and their families. Contact Sommers Schwartz to learn how we can help you pursue a medical malpractice claim. Call us today at (800) 783-0989 to schedule a free consultation – the phone call is free, and there is no fee unless we win.