Speech development in children with delayed closure of the hard palate: An overview of research projects on children with cleft lip and palate in Göteborg, Sweden

Abstract

This paper gives an overview of the research projects carried out in western Sweden with the aim of mapping the speech development of children with cleft lip and palate - all treated with late closure of the hard palate (8-10 yrs). Longitudinal study: The speech development of 15 children was analysed at the age of 4–6 years and again at age 7 years. Hypernasality had decreased but articulatory deviances were mainly unaffected at age 7. The study will continue after the closure of the residual cleft. Assessment of the speech of thirty children one year after closure of the hard palate showed fairly good speech except for deviant /s/-articulation and dysphonia. The analyses of articulation patterns in the babbling of children with clefts indicate that deviant articulatory patterns are established very early. Preliminary analyses of the speech of 5-year-old children, who have been treated with early stimulation of tongue tip and lip movements. indicate that articulatory deviances are less frequent in these children than in the children who were not given early stimulation. Intercenter study: The speech in 15 Swedish children was compared with the speech of 15 Danish children at age 10. The two Scandinavian centers differ in the timing of palatal surgery (Århus early and Göteborg delayed hard palate closure). The speech was found to be very similar in the two groups.

Key Words:

• cleft palate
• speech development
• hypernasality
• delayed palatal closure.