One may wonder what importance manual therapy has in speech therapy or neurological therapy in adults and children. It turns out that it is very large — the operability of the speech apparatus depends on the mobility of the hands. This is due to the fact that speech and fine motor skills occupy the largest area of the cerebral cortex, are located side by side and are functionally connected to each other.The connection between hands and speech
The two largest areas of the cerebral cortex are occupied by the speech center and the motor center of the hands. These two centers are functionally connected to each other because they are located close to each other. In addition, the nerve fibers connecting our brain with the rest of the body are crossed — therefore, if we stimulate the right hand, we affect the most important speech centers, which are located in the left temporal lobe . At the same time, the right hemisphere, which stimulates the movements of the left hand, is responsible for the rhythm, melody and intonation.Thus, irritation of both hands affects the activation of these centers important for the development of speech and, thus, the creation of new paths and connections in this area. That is why in neurorehabilitation clinics, where speech therapy classes for adults and children are conducted, in addition to speech therapy exercises, manual therapy is also performed, including exercises for fine motor skills. Thanks to this, not only the manipulative dexterity of fingers and hands develops, but also the development of speech is stimulated.What is manual therapy in speech therapy and neurological therapy?The exercises themselves are not too complicated: they are cutting, drawing, stringing beads, modeling from plasticine, touching objects or pouring small elements. However, these seemingly simple actions allow you to master an extremely complex and complex motor activity — speech.
