Work

Is telepractice effective in speech therapy for children with cleft lip and palate during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the current shortage of speech-language pathologists in Thailand have limited access to speech services for children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP± L). A combination of telepractice (TP) and face-to-face therapy could address the lack of continuous service and improve accessibility to speech therapy providers. This study aimed to compare the percentage of consonants correct (PCC) before and after speech therapy in children with CP± L. METHODS: This study included 19 children with CP± L, aged 5 to 13 years, who underwent primary cheiloplasty and palatoplasty. A perceptual assessment was conducted using the Thai Speech Parameters for Patients with Cleft Palate in a Universal Reporting System to evaluate speech before and after therapy. The intervention consisted of five 30-minute face-to-face speech therapy sessions and fifteen 30-minute TP sessions, totaling twenty sessions. Paired t-tests were used to analyze the mean differences in PCC for pre- and post-articulation errors, as well as caregiver satisfaction levels at the conclusion of the evaluation period. RESULTS: Children with CP± L exhibited a significant increase in PCC; the mean difference (standard deviation, SD) was 9.36 (11.87), with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 3.64 to 15.08 at the word level, and a mean difference (SD) of 13.25 (13.71), with a 95% CI of 6.65 to 19.86 at the sentence level. Caregivers rated their satisfaction as excellent. CONCLUSION: The integration of TP with traditional face-to-face speech therapy has proven to be a highly effective approach for reducing articulation errors in children with CP± L. Additionally, this method was well-suited for the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Archives of Craniofacial Surgery

DOI: 10.7181/acfs.2024.00479

Authors: Sumita Duangprasert, Sasalaksamon Chanachai, Benjamas Prathanee

Institution: Khon Kaen University

Language: English

Topic: Cleft Lip and Palate Research

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Khon Kaen University, Naresuan University