INTRODUCTION: Cleft palate patients with language impairment require specific therapy. OBJECTIVE: 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. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSIONS: Speech summer camp is a reliable and efficient method to provide speech therapy for left palate patients with language impairment.
INTRODUCTION:Cleft palatepatients with language impairment require specific therapy. OBJECTIVE: Study two modalities of speech intervention in cleft palatechildren with associated linguistic impairment, a conventional approach providing speech therapy, twice a week, and a speech summer camp for a period of three weeks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five cleft palatepatients 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. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSIONS: Speech summer camp is a reliable and efficient method to provide speech therapy for left palatepatients with language impairment.