Language Parameters of 4- to 7-Year-Old Persian-Speaking Children with Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: There are several risk factors including hearing difficulties, lack of language stimulation, and parents' low level of expectation leading to language disorders in children with cleft palate. Therefore, formal language assessments of children with cleft palate are of great importance in order to prevent further disabilities. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate language parameters in 4- to 7-year old Persian-speaking children with cleft palate.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 16 children with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate aged between 4 and 7 years participated in the experiment. The Test of Language Development-Primary, third edition (TOLD-P3) was performed to evaluate the language parameters. The results were scored according to the test manual and compared to normative data published with the TOLD-P3.

RESULTS: t test analysis showed a significant difference between language parameters in children with cleft lip and palate and the normative data (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between different aspects of language performance.

CONCLUSION: The findings emphasize that speech-language pathologists should also concentrate on early language assessment and treatment for children with cleft lip and palate.