Speech Therapy Outcomes in Bilingual Patients with Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate
Abstract
Introduction:
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL±P) are the most common orofacial congenital anomalies. The incidence is 1 in every 700 births. Cleft lip (CL) and cleft palate (CP) are defined as an incomplete closure in utero of the tissue of the lip or soft palate, respectively. CL and CP are closely related, as it is estimated that 45% of children with the malformation have both CL and CP. Post-repair, children with CL±P can have a long road to recovery. It is estimated that over 50% of children with CL±P will need speech therapy (ST) throughout their childhood. An effective measure of long term speech outcomes is ST attendance compliance rate (CR).
Methods:
719 patient charts were reviewed. For demographics; race, ethnicity, preferred language, and bilingualism were recorded. Also recorded were behavioral and/or educational delays, feeding difficulties, any ST attendance and if so, total visits scheduled and total ST visits attended. CR was calculated; [attended ST visits/total scheduled ST visits] *100. ST CR was only tracked for patients attending CHKD ST. Exclusion criteria included patients with submucosal CP, syndromic CL±P, non- congenital CL±P, prematurity, and/or documented medical diagnoses that could affect speech outcomes.
Results:
There were a total of 173 patients receiving ST; 81 patients completed their ST through CHKD. 87.7% (n = 71) of those patients spoke English only (EO). The remaining 12.3% (n = 10) were bilingual. The average CR for the EO and bilingual groups was 89.3% and 91.9%, respectively. There was no statistical significance between the CR for the two groups (p value = 0.6496). The bilingual group received an average of 18 more ST visits per child than the EO group.
Conclusion:
CL±P is a relatively common congenital abnormality that effects hundreds of families every year. An extensive amount of literature on EO CL±P patients' ST outcomes exists, yet there is a gap in literature on long term speech outcomes for CL±P patients who are bilingual. In this study, we attempt to provide a better understanding of potential additional support bilingual households may need to provide their child with the best quality care possible.