He may need a device in his mouth to help close the soft palate. This lets air and sound escape through his nose when he talks. His soft palate is too short or does not move the right way. The soft palate needs to stay open for these sounds.Ī child with velopharyngeal insufficiency, or VPI, cannot touch his soft palate to the back of his throat. Some sounds, like "m" and "n," come out of our nose. We need to do this so that most sounds can come out of our mouth. This closes the space between our mouth and nose. The soft palate needs to move to touch the back of the throat. Some children have problems with their soft palate. They may need help learning to make sounds and speak clearly. A child with a cleft palate may need to work with an SLP. Speech ProblemsĪ child with a cleft lip may not have many speech problems.
Learn more about feeding and swallowing problems in children. The team will also watch your child's growth and nutrition. You may work with the SLP or other team member to find the best bottle. If they bottle-feed, they may need special bottles or nipples. Babies with a cleft palate may have trouble breastfeeding. Feeding Problemsīabies with a cleft lip will likely breastfeed or use a typical bottle. The team works together to do what is best for your child.įind a team near you by visiting the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) website. The audiologist will test your child's hearing. The SLP will also check feeding and swallowing. The SLP will watch how your child's speech and language develop. The SLP or nurse will look at how your child feeds. The dentist and orthodontist help straighten your child's teeth and jaw. This usually happens before your child turns 1 year. The surgeon will close your child’s cleft lip or palate. Your child will see this team for a few years. Many times, services come from a cleft palate or craniofacial team. Your child will need services from a number of professionals. This is more common in children with a cleft palate than with a cleft lip. Your child may have trouble with fluid in her ears and may get ear infections. You should have your child’s hearing tested if she has a cleft. This may be a clue that there is a cleft palate. His speech may sound like it comes out of his nose.
In other cases, this type of cleft may not show up until your child starts talking. If you see this, you should talk to your doctor about a possible cleft palate. You can see it when you look into the back of your mouth. Your uvula is the piece of tissue that hangs in the back of your throat. Your child may have a bifid uvula, which is a sign of a cleft. These are possible signs of a cleft.Ī submucous cleft may cause feeding problems. Your child may have a weak suck and take a long time to feed. It is not always easy to see a cleft palate. It is harder to see a cleft palate on ultrasound. A cleft lip may show on an ultrasound before birth. Most of the time, a doctor will see a cleft lip or palate at birth.
It is the pink tissue that you see in your mouth. This happens when tissue, called the mucous membrane, covers the cleft. A cleft palate can be on one side or both sides of the mouth.Ī child can have a submucous, or hidden, cleft palate. The back part is the soft palate, made of muscle. The split may also be in the upper jaw and gum.Ī cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft lip may be on one or both sides of the upper lip. A baby can have a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Cleft lips and palates happen before birth. Speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, can help.Ī "cleft" is a split or a divide. A child with a cleft lip or palate can have feeding and speech problems.
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