Research guides the parameters for assessment and treatment of individuals with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P). Most developing countries cannot provide an adequate standard of cleft care, due to limited resources. Speech-language therapists and audiologists in developing countries can contribute to improving cleft care through early communication intervention to minimise/prevent the negative impact of a cleft on a young child’s communication ability and to support the families. However, they require linguistically and contextually relevant assessment instruments for early identification of communication disorders in these children. The aim of the research was to develop and evaluate a communication assessment protocol for young children with CL/P, for use in Mauritius, a developing country in the Indian Ocean with a multilingual and multicultural population. A further aim was to develop an electronic database of children with CL/P in the public health sector of Mauritius. Eighty-eight children, with CL/P, 0-6 years, were selected by consecutive sampling and their parents acted as participants. Four speech-language therapists and audiologists from the public health sector of Mauritius participated in the data collection and appraisal of the newly developed assessment protocol. A mixed methods research design was selected. Based on exploratory research of cleft care in Mauritius and international recommendations for assessment of young children with CL/P, a comprehensive Communication Assessment Protocol was compiled and speech elicitation materials in Creole and French were prepared. Speech-language therapists and audiologists conducted assessments, using non-invasive procedures to assess feeding, hearing, communication skills development, emergent literacy skills, speech production and voice of the participants. Digital video and audio recordings of the elicited speech samples were made and auditory-perceptual procedures for speech analysis and inter-rater comparisons for reliability were employed. The communication assessment protocol was useful in describing the characteristics of the children with CL/P treated in the National Health System in Mauritius. The speech-language therapists and audiologists together with the parents of the children as partners in assessment were successful in early identification of communication delays/disorders in children with CL/P (73%) and also referrals to other health care professionals. The protocol was evaluated and accepted for application in clinical practice. The newly developed Communication Assessment Protocol was applied by local speech-language therapists and audiologists with the possibility of implementing this assessment instrument nationally. This was an important contribution to improve cleft care in Mauritius where interdisciplinary team-based cleft care has not occurred to date. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

OBJETIVO: Este estudo tem como objetivo elaborar um protocolo eficiente para triagem do desenvolvimento de linguagem em crianças da população brasileira, analisar se existem diferenças nas habilidades de linguagem das crianças com e sem fissura labiopalatina (FLP) e verificar se há diferenças no perfil do desenvolvimento de linguagem entre crianças com FLP, com e sem otite média. MODELO: Prospectivo e amostra aleatória. LOCAL: Setor de Fonoaudiologia e Ambulatório de Saúde Pública - HRAC- USP. PARTICIPANTES: Foram avaliadas 163 crianças, sendo 102 com FLP (50 sem e 52 com otite média) e 61 sem FLP, na faixa etária de 22 a 24 meses e de 34 a 36 meses, por ordem de agendamento no HRAC - USP. INTERVENÇÕES: Aplicação do Protocolo de triagem do desenvolvimento de linguagem em crianças até 3 anos de idade, composto dos Testes REEL-2, ELM e LDS e avaliação fonoaudiológica, possibilitando a detecção precoce de crianças de risco para o atraso no desenvolvimento da linguagem. RESULTADOS: Constatou-se, com diferença estatisticamente significante, atraso no desenvolvimento da linguagem receptiva pelo Teste REEL-2, em crianças com 3 anos de idade, sendo mais baixo o desempenho naquelas com FLP. A Escala ELM mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante para a linguagem expressiva com 3 anos de idade, destacando-se o grupo de crianças sem FLP. No Teste LDS os dados foram significativos para crianças com 3 anos, do grupo sem FLP. Todos esses dados foram confirmados pela avaliação fonoaudiológica. CONCLUSÃO: O protocolo proposto mostrou eficácia, principalmente quando acentua as diferenças existentes em crianças com e sem FLP. Com esses dados, a implantação do protocolo é de alto benefício aos pacientes de risco nesta condição. / Objective: The goals of the present work are: to generale a protocol screening to evaluate the development of language in Brazilian children; to analise differences existing in language skills in children with/without cleft lip/palate, and to verify differences existing in the profile of language development between children with clefting, with/ without median otitis. Model: Prospective study based in randomized sampling Setting: Speech Pathology Section, Public Health Ambulatory, HRAC-USP Participants: 163 children composed this sample, where 102 presented cleft lip/palate (52 with otitis media and 50 without) and 61 normal children. The age ranged between 22 to 24 months and from 34 to 36 months, according the routine agenda. Intervention: The Protocol was applied to all children having less than 36 months. It includes the following scales: REEL-2, ELM and LDS, as well as the speech language evaluation, concerning early identification of children at risk for developmental language delay. Results: Through the Protocol screening we showed that there was significant standard deviation in receptive developmental language delay detected through the REEL-2 Scale, mainly for children with CL/P at age 36 months. The ELM and LDS scales showed significant standard deviation for expressive language delay, mainly in children without clefting at age 36 months. These data were confirmed through speech-language evaluation. Conclusions: The studied Protocol was efficient in all circumstances, mainly when we take into account the differences existing between children with cleft lip/palate with and without otitis media, and when we also consider the groups with and without CL/P. We suggest that this Protocol should be established as a routine procedure in the evaluation of at risk patients, no matter where they are.

OBJETIVO: Este estudo tem como objetivo elaborar um protocolo eficiente para triagem do desenvolvimento de linguagem em crianças da população brasileira, analisar se existem diferenças nas habilidades de linguagem das crianças com e sem fissura labiopalatina (FLP) e verificar se há diferenças no perfil do desenvolvimento de linguagem entre crianças com FLP, com e sem otite média. MODELO: Prospectivo e amostra aleatória. LOCAL: Setor de Fonoaudiologia e Ambulatório de Saúde Pública - HRAC- USP. PARTICIPANTES: Foram avaliadas 163 crianças, sendo 102 com FLP (50 sem e 52 com otite média) e 61 sem FLP, na faixa etária de 22 a 24 meses e de 34 a 36 meses, por ordem de agendamento no HRAC - USP. INTERVENÇÕES: Aplicação do Protocolo de triagem do desenvolvimento de linguagem em crianças até 3 anos de idade, composto dos Testes REEL-2, ELM e LDS e avaliação fonoaudiológica, possibilitando a detecção precoce de crianças de risco para o atraso no desenvolvimento da linguagem. RESULTADOS: Constatou-se, com diferença estatisticamente significante, atraso no desenvolvimento da linguagem receptiva pelo Teste REEL-2, em crianças com 3 anos de idade, sendo mais baixo o desempenho naquelas com FLP. A Escala ELM mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante para a linguagem expressiva com 3 anos de idade, destacando-se o grupo de crianças sem FLP. No Teste LDS os dados foram significativos para crianças com 3 anos, do grupo sem FLP. Todos esses dados foram confirmados pela avaliação fonoaudiológica. CONCLUSÃO: O protocolo proposto mostrou eficácia, principalmente quando acentua as diferenças existentes em crianças com e sem FLP. Com esses dados, a implantação do protocolo é de alto benefício aos pacientes de risco nesta condição. / Objective: The goals of the present work are: to generale a protocol screening to evaluate the development of language in Brazilian children; to analise differences existing in language skills in children with/without cleft lip/palate, and to verify differences existing in the profile of language development between children with clefting, with/ without median otitis. Model: Prospective study based in randomized sampling Setting: Speech Pathology Section, Public Health Ambulatory, HRAC-USP Participants: 163 children composed this sample, where 102 presented cleft lip/palate (52 with otitis media and 50 without) and 61 normal children. The age ranged between 22 to 24 months and from 34 to 36 months, according the routine agenda. Intervention: The Protocol was applied to all children having less than 36 months. It includes the following scales: REEL-2, ELM and LDS, as well as the speech language evaluation, concerning early identification of children at risk for developmental language delay. Results: Through the Protocol screening we showed that there was significant standard deviation in receptive developmental language delay detected through the REEL-2 Scale, mainly for children with CL/P at age 36 months. The ELM and LDS scales showed significant standard deviation for expressive language delay, mainly in children without clefting at age 36 months. These data were confirmed through speech-language evaluation. Conclusions: The studied Protocol was efficient in all circumstances, mainly when we take into account the differences existing between children with cleft lip/palate with and without otitis media, and when we also consider the groups with and without CL/P. We suggest that this Protocol should be established as a routine procedure in the evaluation of at risk patients, no matter where they are.

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