Articulation Function Changes in Children With Cleft Lip and Palate: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Pediatric Medicine
• Craniofacial Anomalies

Background:

• Children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) often exhibit speech sound disorders.
• Articulation function is a critical component of communication for this population.
• Understanding treatment efficacy and long-term outcomes is essential for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in articulation function in children with CLP.
• Assessments were conducted before treatment, immediately after treatment, and at a 1-year follow-up.
• The study aimed to determine the short-term and long-term effects of speech therapy.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post control design involving 24 children with CLP.
• Speech assessments included Percentage Correct Consonants (PCC), Percentage Correct Places (PCP), Percentage Correct Manners (PCM), Cleft Speech Characteristics (CSC), and Phonological Simplification Processes (PSP).
• Data were collected at three time points: pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• All speech indicators showed significant improvement immediately after treatment (P<0.05).
• Percentage Correct Consonants (PCC), Percentage Correct Places (PCP), and Phonological Simplification Processes (PSP) remained stable during the 1-year follow-up.
• Cleft Speech Characteristics (CSC) and Percentage Correct Manners (PCM) demonstrated continued improvement during the follow-up period.

Conclusions:

• Speech therapy is effective in improving articulation in children with CLP.
• The learned speech skills are integrated into daily communication and show lasting benefits.
• Findings support personalized treatment plans and optimized intervention strategies for CLP speech disorders.