Clinical outcomes in Cleft Palate with or without Lip (CP+/-L) include dentition, facial growth, hearing, speech, language and feeding. There is also strong evidence of the impact of the condition on psychosocial factors, academic achievement and communicative participation. Even following primary palate repair, a significant proportion of individuals with CP+/-L will continue to have velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). As a speech therapist working with individuals with CP+/-L, it is essential to be aware of the range of clinical outcomes and understand how they impact on the individual’s activities and participation. The role of the Speech Therapist begins from infancy till discharge in adulthood and extends to collaboration with members of the local medical team and professional communication with fellow Speech Therapists.
In Talk A, participants will be introduced to the Cleft Clinical Care Pathway and the range of clinical outcomes in CP+/-L with a focus on feeding, language and speech. Common feeding problems found in this patient group, as well as evaluation with corresponding techniques and tools would be discussed. Participants will be introduced to the evidence on language development in children with CP+/-L, and recommendations for assessment. Participants will also learn about speech parameters of Cleft Palate/VPI, approaches to analyses, and current published perceptual speech framework tools. There will be a brief overview of instrumental investigations of VPI.
PS: This seminar will provide more in-depth knowledge and different content from the Assessment Tool talk which was held by CUHK.