Short-term effect of short, intensive speech therapy on articulation and resonance in Ugandan patients with cleft (lip and) palate: a pilot study

Introduction: The purpose of the current study was to assess the short-term effectiveness of short and intensive speech therapy provided to patients with cleft (lip and) palate (C(L)P) in terms of articulation, resonance and direction of airflow. Methods: Five Ugandan patients (7;4-19;7 years) with non-syndromic C(L)P received 6 hours of individualized speech therapy (2x1h/day). Speech therapy focused on correct phonetic placement and contrasts between oral and nasal air flow and resonance. Speech evaluations performed before and immediately after speech therapy, including perceptual and objective assessment techniques, were compared. Results: Post-therapy, improvement of speech was noted for all patients, although to varying degrees. Clinically relevant progress of both objective nasalance values and articulation was obtained in four patients. Overall, two patients showed normal speech, while three patients required additional speech therapy. Conclusion: These preliminary short-term results demonstrate that short and intensive speech therapy can be effective for patients with C(L)P in countries with limited access to speech-language therapy. However, further research is needed on the long-term effectiveness and the advantages of applying this treatment protocol in countries with good access to speech therapy.