Speech Therapy

Children with a cleft lip/palate or other craniofacial conditions may need speech & language therapy. These children are at risk for delay in starting to talk, unclear speech (Errors in pronunciation and / or Nasal tone speech). It is recommended that these are identified and treated at a younger age itself.

Scope of Services :

Early language stimulation counselling and Language assessment.
Parent empowerment program for Language stimulation.
Speech & Resonance assessment.
Nasoendoscopy for Velopharyngeal port evaluation.
Speech & Resonance Therapy.
Group Therapy & Tele-consultations.

Working Days and Hours :

Monday to Saturday, 9AM – 5PM

Description:

Speech and language therapist (SLT) meets the family of children with CLP as early as 9-12 months for evaluating the child’s speech and language development. After initial language assessment/counselling which is ideally timed with primary palate repair around 12 months of age, a follow-up assessment to monitor the speech and language development is scheduled around 18-24 months and at 36 months (03 years) of age. In the early years of child’s development, speech and language therapist is involved in empowering the parents/caregiver about

Monitoring the child’s speech and language development,
Language stimulation strategies to be used at home
Importance of mother-child interaction & child’s play development,
Identifying and reinforcing correct pronunciation of sounds like /p/ /t/ /k/ in the early years itself.

Individuals with CLP may exhibit atypical pronunciations and nasal tone which makes their speech difficult to understand by others. In order to profile the problem, SLTs conduct a detailed assessment of speech related to pronunciation and nasal tone and formulate an individualized treatment plan. The ultimate goal of speech therapy is, clear and understandable speech which will help the children/adults with CLP to communicate at ease and participate in all activities in their daily life.

Note: Not all Individuals with CLP will have similar problems related to speech. To understand the requirements of speech therapy for your child, It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with the specialist speech therapist working in a dedicated cleft care unit.