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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Stephanie Van Eeden
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2023 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.Purpose of review: Children born with a cleft lip and palate (CLP) are at risk of speech problems. There is a high prevalence of conductive hearing loss due to otitis media with effusion and recent research has highlighted broader difficulties with language and educational attainment. There has been increased interest in the impact of auditory processing on a child's development, but little study into links between auditory skills and speech and language development. Recent findings: Children with CLP consistently struggle with auditory tasks. Difficulties processing words in a noisy background, auditory attention and temporal processing are frequently reported. A recent study in the United Kingdom investigated the auditory behaviours of 95 children aged 5-8 years with nonsyndromic CLP and compared these with speech and language profiles. Auditory difficulties correlated with speech development and most auditory behaviours correlated with language outcomes. There was also a correlation of language with speech outcomes, suggesting a more complex and interdependent relationship. Summary: Children with CLP present with high levels of difficulties with auditory skills. The potential impact of this on broader development needs further research, but clinicians should ensure that auditory skills beyond the hearing test are monitored, and advice given to parents to minimize the impact.
Author(s): Van Eeden S
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Year: 2023
Volume: 31
Issue: 3
Pages: 165-170
Print publication date: 01/06/2023
Acceptance date: 02/04/2023
ISSN (print): 1068-9508
ISSN (electronic): 1531-6998
Publisher: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
URL: https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.0000000000000883
DOI: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000883
PubMed id: 36912233
