teaching a child with a cleft palate

[suferny@hotmail.com]

Has anyone any information and help for me. I am a teacher of a 6 year old boy with a cleft palete, and would like to increase his self confidence as much as possible. What is the best way to go about this. Is there some way I can help him with his speech, as he tends to write as he speaks, eg 'wed' for 'went' etc.
Thank you in anticipation

[howton12909@aol.com]

Good for you! I am so glad to see a teacher who cares about her student particularly one with a cleft palate. I remember when I was in College in a reading methods class (I am a teacher also). I asked the instructor how to handle or teach a child in reading. Her response was "Leave them alone." I fell out of my chair and not only that I, too, have a cleft lip and palate. My advice is get "quizmo" games or any word cards and use word wall, e.g., words printed up on the board and during circle time review these words with the class. Use lots of repetition. Make up rhymes or words. You might want to recommend to the parents to get a private speech therapist to come to the home on a weekly basis to review words. Most of the clinical speech therapist at school really don't spend that much time working with students on an individual basis.

[Jeff Alterman]

I think that you have a very good idea that anyone with a cleft palate who's speech is affected should get plenty of practice. In time there should be quite a measurable improvment in the affected person's speech and this will almost certainly improve their self-estemm. When I found out back in late June 1980 when I was 17 that I definitely had a submucous cleft hard palate and that was why my speech sound a little funny, I started to work on it on my own. My speech still isn't quite 100%, but it is a good deal better than it was. Another factor in my mild speech impediment is because I have Asperger's Syndrome which sometimes affects the affected person's speech a little. Jeff Alterman at alterman@bestweb.net

[Calvero]

First, thanks for wanting to help with his speech . I suggest finding out where there is a speech therapist in your school or elsewhere in the school district. Also have you spoken with his parents about your concern?


Kim,
The Cleft Club,
<a href="http://cleftclub.com">http://cleftclub.com</a>