Language Delay in PreSchool Children with Cleft Palate +/- Cleft Lip – A Pilot Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fitzgerald, Lynda^a | Sweeney, Triona^b | Franklin, Sue^c

Affiliations: [a] St Vincent’s Health Centre, Tipperary Town, Co Tipperary | [b] Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin and University of Limerick | [c] Speech & Language Therapy Department, University of Limerick

Abstract: Objectives:To ascertain if preschool children with cleft palate +/- cleft lip (CP +/- L) present with a delay in language development and, to determine the nature of the delay in terms of language content, structure and modality. Participants:Twelve preschool children with CP +/- L participated in the study. Design:A standardised language test, CELF Preschool UK – 2nd Edition, was administered and spontaneous utterances were informally analysed using LARSP and MLU scores. Z tests were used to compare participants’ scores with a standardised scoring regime of a known population. Results:Z scores revealed a significant difference between all five composite scores of language development of participants in this study and those of the known population. Descriptive statistics corroborated these findings. Conclusions:Preschool children with CP +/- L may be at a higher risk of delays in language development than their non-cleft peers. However, language delay is not a necessary concomitant in this population. This study highlights the possibility that the consequences of preschool children with CP +/- L are more than speech and isolated craniofacial anomalies.

Keywords: Cleft lip and palate, preschool children, language development

DOI: 10.3233/ACS-2009-17107

Journal: Journal of Clinical Speech and Language Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 73-91, 2009