What is it about?
The study analyzed the impact of an approach to building capacity for cleft palate speech therapy. It quantified the increase in content knowledge and clinical skills about cleft palate speech therapy. There were three testing points, one before the trainees did the online course, one on the morning of the five-day inperson training, and the third on the last afternoon of the training.
Featured Image
Photo by Loren Joseph on Unsplash
Why is it important?
In many countries worldwide there is a scarcity of professionals who have the expertise to provide cleft palate speech therapy to patients with repaired cleft palates. After the palate is repaired, the majority of patients need speech therapy to correct their speech that was developed when the patient did not have the anatomy to produce a number of speech sounds. With quality speech therapy, the patients can have completely typical speech, but without it the vast majority have speech that is very difficult to understand. This study shows that the approach of first completion of the online course, then a five-day in-person training including a daily clinical component show significant increases in the content knowledge and cleft speech clinical skills. These findings are preliminary but point to a valid way to build capacity in speech therapy for patients with repaired cleft palates.
Perspectives
I have been doing these trainings for a long time and collecting data at all three points. I was so grateful to work with my co-authors especially Drs. Baigorri, Hwang, and Levy to quantify the value of these trainings. Through this study I also learned that I want to include more assessment of clinical skills, which I have now incorporated into the more recent trainings that I have done. Also, the content knowledge part did not differentiate the more challenging content such as how to determine if the patient needs another surgery for speech and when a nasoendoscope is needed. I have also modified the tests to be more targeted.
Dr. Cate Jane Crowley
Teachers College, Columbia University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Impact of an International Training on Interventionists' Expertise in Cleft Palate Speech: Results From Oaxaca, Mexico, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, April 2024, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2024_ajslp-23-00397.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Terapia del habla para la fisura del paladar: Evaluacíon y tratamiento
Aquí hay un curso en línea gratuito para mejorar su comprensión de la terapia del habla para pacientes nacido con paladar hendido. Here is the free onliine course to improve your understanding of cleft palate speech therapy. The course is also available in English, Vietnamese, French and Bahasa.
English cleft speech therapy course: Evaluation and treatment
This is a free online course leading to a certificate of completion and CEUs and professional development hours. It focuses on cleft palate speech therapy.
Ejercicios motores orales no del habla (PRAXIS) no mejoran el habla. Descubra por qué en este vídeo.
Demasiados logopedas continúan utilizando ejercicios motores orales no relacionados con el habla para mejorar el habla. Este video describe cómo responder a padres y colegas que preguntan por qué estos ejercicios no mejoran el habla. Gracias a Drs. Watson y Lof por la informacíon. Too many speech therapists continue to use nonspeech oral motor exercises to improve speech. This video describes how to respond to parents and colleagues who ask why these exercises do not improve speech.
Cleft speech assessment screeners in over 30 languages (all free for copying and downloading)
Here are assessment screeners for cleft speech in over 30 languages. They are all free for copying and downloading.
Former les Formateurs: informations essentielles pour maximiser leur capacité à améliorer la parole chez les enfants présentant une fente palatine.
Ce cours, Cleft Palate Speech and Feeding, est un programme de 5 jours qui vise à fournir aux orthophonistes et aux parents d’enfants présentant une fente palatine des stratégies et des informations essentielles pour maximiser leur capacité à améliorer la parole chez les enfants présentant une fente palatine.
Addressing the Gap in Education for Cleft Palate: A Module Training Series for Craniofacial Assessment and Treatment.
Addressing the Gap in Education for Cleft Palate: A Module Training Series for Craniofacial Assessment and Treatment. Purpose: A shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with expertise in cleft lip and palate (CLP) care exists in the United States and worldwide. Limited educational and clinical preparation can result in ineffective intervention for individuals with CLP. Yet, comprehensive cleft care is a requisite for patients who require such services from SLPs. It is critical that practitioners possess the necessary knowledge and skills. In response to the shortage of qualified personnel, the authors developed an online cleft palate self-study course. This clinical focus article discusses the development process and provides a description of the video tutorials. A preliminary examination of the effectiveness of the tutorials via a quasi-experimental study was conducted with a group of 25 graduate students who had not taken an undergraduate or graduate course that either exclusively or partially covered the topic of CLP. Conclusion: Initial investigation of the tutorials via quasi-experimental assessment and feedback from consumers suggests that this resource may serve as an alternative and/or supplemental tool for the education of SLPs, parents, and allied professionals.
Barriers and Resources to Cleft Lip and Palate Speech Services Globally: A Descriptive Study
Background: Although a number of international cleft organizations and cleft professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have built and supported comprehensive cleft care and speech therapy models to address the shortage of speech services in LMICs, the specific speech needs of individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP) in such countries remain unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the barriers to accessing speech services for patients with CLP as well as the resources and models of speech services that are currently available for individuals with CLP in LMICs, with the goal of better understanding the needs of this population. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative methods consisted of Smile Train partner surveys that were distributed June 25th to July 31st, 2018 worldwide. Surveys were distributed through Smile Train’s online medical database, Smile Train Express, which every Smile Train partner uses to report their Smile Train sponsored treatment outcomes. A total of 658 Smile Train partners responded to the surveys. Respondents included surgeons, speech therapists,orthodontists, administrators and nurses who represented nongovernmental organizations, hospitals (private or public), hospital groups, and private clinics. Results: Results indicated that lack of resources, including access to local speech providers and language materials, as well as financial constraints such as patient travel and speech treatment costs, are the most commonly reported barriers to accessing speech services across all geographic regions surveyed.
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
