Speech Pathology Telepractice for children with cleft palate in the times of COVID-19 Pandemic

Pamplona, María del Carmen; Ysunza, Pablo Antonio

Abstract Objective To study whether providing Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) interventions by telepractice (TP) could effectively improve speech performance in children with cleft palate (CCP). Methods Forty-three CCP were treated with TP intervention in 45 minutes sessions, 2 times per week for a period of one month. Children ages ranged 4-12 years (X=7.04; SD=2.59). All children presented with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and compensatory articulation (CA) after palatal repair. TP was provided in small groups (5-6 children) following the principles of the Whole Language Model (WLM). Severity of CA was evaluated by a standardized scale at the onset and at the end of the TP period. Results At the onset of the TP intervention period, 84% of the patients demonstrated severe CA. At the end of the TP period there was a significant improvement in severity of CA (p<0.001). Conclusion The results of this study suggests that TP can be a safe and reliable tool for improving CA. Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic will radically modify the delivery of Health Care services in the long term, alternate modes of service delivery should be studied and implemented.