An eight-year old British boy, who suffered brain damage at birth, has spoken for the first time after swimming with dolphins at a therapy centre in the American state of Florida.

The boy, Nikki Brice, had undergone traditional therapy, without success, although doctors said he had the physical ability to speak.

His family raised more than seventeen-thousand dollars to send him to Miami for treatment at the centre, where handicapped children are encouraged to swim with dolphins.

After the breakthrough, he is being taught how to use his vocal cords and is increasing his vocabulary.

Scientists are baffled by the therapeutic effect dolphins can have on people suffering from learning difficulties or depression.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service