by Jeanne Buta » Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:05 pm
Hello,
My daughter was born in 2004 with a cleft of the soft palate. Her palate was repaired @ 12 months. It is my understanding it is not advisable to have the soft palate repaired until atleast 9mo-12mo. This is the time when speech will be the most evident. Speech problems can vary with cleft palate babies. Because of eustachian tube disfunction in some babies, hearing loss can deter proper speech development. Some babies will develope nasal speech because of the palate not properly closing off the air. My daughter did have delayed speech. After her second set of tubes were in, her speech progressed rapidly. She now speaks in four or five word sentences. However, her articulation is poor at times. We work on articulation daily and are now seeing a great speech therapist. Her prognosis is GOOD!...hope this is helpful
Jeanne