
This page is a compilation of information related to speech intervention in those with cleft lip and/or palate. Discover research, ideas, websites, and resources! Bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest with the image at the bottom.
Cleft lip and palate can co-occur or be independent of one another. A child may also have a submucous cleft, which is oftentimes difficult to detect because the mucous membrane covers the cleft. It is common for children born with a cleft lip and/or palate to need speech intervention at some point. Over half of these children will need speech therapy; however, most will develop normal speech by age five.
CLEFT LIP AND PALATE REPAIRS
Cleft lip repair typically occurs between 3-6 months old. Cleft palate repair typically occurs between 8-14 months old.
More surgeries may be needed as a child grows older, such as a pharyngoplasty.
Before palate repair: Babies with cleft palate produce vocalizations as much as babies who are not cleft affected, although they have delayed onset of babbling and first words and they acquire words more slowly. They also prefer words beginning with sonorants (vowels, nasals, liquids, and glides.) This is because these are the sounds they can make without a palate! Encourage /m,n,l,w,j/, “ng”, and vowels, as well as any tongue and lip movement. Some words to model are “me”, “more”, “no”, “mama”, and “wawa” for water, and other approximations. It is important to note that cleft babies are not affected receptively (unless hearing is impacted.) If they are not repeating words back, they are still learning and expanding their vocabulary.
After palate repair: Encourage the use of more sounds /p,b,t,d,k,g,s,z,f/ and target a greater variety of CV, CVC, and CVCV words.
FIRST SPEECH THERAPY SESSION
Gather a case history:
- family history of clefts and speech disorders
- birth history
- developmental milestones history
- medical diagnosis
- feeding history
- hearing/ear infection and vision history
- surgical history
- speech and language therapy history
Gather concerns:
- feeding
- breathing and snoring
- hearing loss
- psychosocial concerns
- speech intelligibility (for familiar adults and unfamiliar adults)
- resonance
Conduct an oral mechanism exam:
- visually examine the structure of the face, nose, eyes, ears, skull for proportion and symmetry
- lip closure and movement
- tongue elevation and movement
- look for tongue abnormalities, such as asymmetry, macroglossia, akyloglossia
- presence and size of the tonsils – large tonsils may affect resonance and airway
- look for any teeth malocclusions
- check for movement of the palate
- listen for resonance
Use phonemically loaded sentences for an informal assessment of overall intelligibility and to access other factors, such as hypernasality and other resonance disorders.
A Guide for Cleft Palate Speech Sampling
You can even get in contact with the craniofacial team’s SLP regarding the child. (Most children are followed by a craniofacial team starting at birth. This includes an SLP, audiologist, dietician, surgeon, dentist, orthodontist, social worker, nurse, and perhaps other professionals.)
COMMON INTERVENTIONS NEEDED WITH CLEFT LIP AND PALATE
ARTICULATION: A child with a cleft lip may have typical articulation. Those with cleft palates or submucous palates are much more likely to need articulation intervention. Common speech sound errors include glottal stops, nasal fricatives, pharyngeal fricatives, and mid-dorsum palatal stops. Oral movement may be affected, such as reduced lip rounding or tongue elevation. Be sure to differentiate between the speech sound errors: obligatory, compensatory, or developmental.
VELOPHARYNGEAL DYSFUNCTION (VPD): A generic term for resonance disorders. VPD occurs when the velopharyngeal port does not have proper closure during speech or swallowing. Air leaks into the nasal passage due to the soft palate’s inadequate speed or range of function. This can result in nasal air emission, hypernasality, abnormal speech, and decreased intelligibility. All children with a cleft palate will demonstrate VPD prior to cleft repair.
NASAL AIR EMISSION: The audible release of bursts of air through the nose during speech.
HYPERNASALITY: A condition when air flows through the nasal passage during voiced consonants and vowels, causing too much nasal resonance.
VOCAL HYPERFUNCTION: A chronic condition when the glottis is overworked resulting in a strained voice, fatigue, or pain.
FEEDING AND SWALLOWING: Children with an isolated cleft lip can use a typical bottle or may be able to breastfeed. Children with a cleft palate oftentimes cannot breastfeed and use a specialty feeder, such as the Dr. Browns Specialty Feeder or Haberman bottle. These bottles don’t require the baby to produce suction and you can pace a baby with the Haberman bottle.
HEARING LOSS: Children with cleft palate are more likely to get fluid in the middle ear and ear infections. This can cause mild to moderate hearing loss. Eustachian tube dysfunction is common and present in over 90% of infants with cleft palates and leads to middle ear changes responsible for permanent hearing loss in adulthood. Some syndromes related to cleft palates have hearing loss associated with them, such as Stickler syndrome. Hearing loss is present in more than 50% of the adult cleft palate population. Those hard of hearing have a tendency to remain more hypernasal.
DENTAL DEVIATION AND MALOCCLUSIONS: Children with a cleft palate or lip are more likely to have dental abnormalities. This may include an overbite, underbite, crossbite, extra teeth, missing teeth, and teeth out of alignment. If the alveolar ridge is affected by a cleft, the teeth may be displaced or rotated. These dental differences may affect speech production.
Speech therapy cannot fix hypernasility, hyponasailty, or nasal air emission that is from VPD. Speech therapy is effective in teaching abnormal speech sounds placement caused by VPD. Refer to the craniofacial team!
CLEFT LIP AND PALATE WEBSITES
ASHA Clinical Topics: Cleft Lip and Palate
ASHA Clinical Topics: Resonance Disorders
ASHA Evidence Maps: Cleft Lip and Palate Research Articles
ASHA Leader: 10 Common Questions About Cleft/Craniofacial Management Answered
ASHA Leader: Opening the Toolbox for Cleft Palate – Related Speech Disorders
American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
CLAPA – Cleft Lip and Palate Association
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Speech Evaluation and Treatment for Patients With Cleft Palate
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Beyond Cleft Palate: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Velopharyngeal Dysfunction
English Cleft Palate Speech Therapy: Evaluation and Treatment
