Symptom 6: Groping – The Visible Struggle of DVD
Groping, in the context of speech, refers to visible or audible struggling to find the correct mouth position to produce sounds or words. For children battling DVD, groping is not only a common but also a highly indicative symptom of their condition.
Picture a situation where a child is attempting to say a particularly challenging word. As they gear up to speak, you might notice their mouth, lips, or tongue making multiple attempts to find the right position. It’s as though they’re ‘searching’ for the correct way to produce the word, much like groping in the dark.
These visible struggles are most noticeable when the child attempts unfamiliar or complex words or sentences. Their speech apparatus appears to grapple with the ‘motor map’ for these new or challenging speech elements. This symptom provides an externally observable sign of the internal speech motor planning difficulties inherent in DVD.
Moreover, the child’s awareness of this struggle often compounds the challenge. They might show signs of frustration or even self-correct in the middle of these groping attempts. It’s as though they’re caught in a tug-of-war between their intention to speak and their ability to coordinate the required movements.(6)
