Speech, Language, and Communication Skills of Adolescents With Craniofacial Microsomia

Purpose Youth with craniofacial microsomia (CFM) have anomalies and comorbidities that increase their risk for speech, language, and communication deficits. We examined these outcomes in youth with and without CFM and explored differences as a function of CFM phenotype and hearing status. Method Participants included youth ages 11-17 years with CFM (n = 107) and demographically similar controls (n = 306). We assessed speech intelligibility, articulation, receptive and expressive language, and parent and teacher report measures of communication. Hearing status was also screened at the study visit. Group differences were estimated using linear regression analyses with standardized effect sizes (ES) adjusted for demographic characteristics (adjusted ES) or negative binomial regression. Results Youth with CFM scored lower than unaffected peers on most measures of intelligibility, articulation, expressive language, and parent- and-teacher-rated communication. Differences were most pronounced among participants with CFM who had mandibular hypoplasia plus microtia (adjusted ES = -1.15 to -0.18). Group differences were larger in youth with CFM who failed the hearing screen (adjusted ES = -0.73 to 0.07) than in those who passed the hearing screen (adjusted ES = -0.34 to 0.27). Conclusions Youth with CFM, particularly those with mandibular hypoplasia plus microtia and/or hearing loss, should be closely monitored for speech and language concerns. Further research is needed to identify the specific needs of youth with CFM as well as to document the course of speech and language development in children with CFM.