Summer school speech therapy for children with cleft palate and language disorder
Pamplona, M.ía.d.C.; Ysunza, A.; Pérez, G.; Vergara, S.
Gaceta Medica de Mexico 145(6): 475-479
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-3813 PMID: 20077865 Document Number: 633987
Cleft palate patients with language impairment require specific therapy. Study two modalities of speech intervention in cleft palate children with associated linguistic impairment, a conventional approach providing speech therapy, twice a week, and a speech summer camp for a period of three weeks. Twenty-five cleft palate patients with language impairment were studied. A matched control group was gathered. Patients included in the first group attended a three week duration speech summer camp. Control patients included in the second group received speech therapy twice a week. At the onset of either the summer camp or the speech intervention period, the severity of language impairment was evenly distributed with non-significant differences across groups (p > 0.05). After the summer camp or 9 months of speech therapy sessions, both groups showed a significant decrease in the severity of language impairment (p < 0.05). At the end of the summer camp, and the therapy period, non-significant differences, were found between groups (p > 0.05). Speech summer camp is a reliable and efficient method to provide speech therapy for left palate patients with language impairment.