INTENSIVE SPEECH THERAPY PROGRAM IN PATIENTS WITH CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Abstract

Introduction: Many children with speech disorders resulting from cleft lip and palate remain isolated because of their inability to communicate. Speech therapy is necessary to prevent or eliminate the speech disorders resulting from the velopharyngeal dysfunction in individuals with cleft lip and palate. Objective:To describe an Intensive Therapy Program (ITP) for treatment of speech disorders resulting from cleft palate and compare the results of speech of patients before and after the ITP. Material and Methods: It will be selected patients with velopharyngeal dysfunction for learning error in the use of the velopharyngeal mechanism for speech, of both genders, with minimal age of 16. The ITP will be held within 45 sessions, divided into 5 phases: clinical speech evaluation and nasometry pre-therapy (phase 1); speech therapy to eliminate compensatory articulation (phase 2); elimination of hypernasality (phase 3); automatization of the target sound in spontaneous speech (phase 4), and clinical speech evaluation and nasometry post-therapy (phase 5). (AU)