Five-year speech and language outcomes in children with cleft lip-palate.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate 5-year speech and language outcomes in children with cleft lip/palate (CLP).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Thirty-eight children aged 4-7 years and 8 months were recruited for this study. Speech abilities including articulation, resonance, voice, and intelligibility were assessed based on Thai Universal Parameters of Speech Outcomes. Language ability was assessed by the Language Screening Test.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that children with clefts had speech and language delay, abnormal understandability, resonance abnormality, and voice disturbance; articulation defects that were 8.33 (1.75, 22.47), 50.00 (32.92, 67.08), 36.11 (20.82, 53.78), 30.56 (16.35, 48.11), and 94.44 (81.34, 99.32).

CONCLUSIONS

Articulation errors were the most common speech and language defects in children with clefts, followed by abnormal understandability, resonance abnormality, and voice disturbance. These results should be of critical concern. Protocol reviewing and early intervention programs are needed for improved speech outcomes.