Purpose: The aims of the present study were twofold: first, to investigate reading and screen time habits in a large clinical sample of caregivers of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) before and after an 8 week intervention focussed on daily joint book reading and, second, to capture the caregivers experiences of the activity. Method: Preschool aged children with SLCN and their caregivers were consecutively recruited during their first visit to the department of Speech and Language Pathology, Gavle County Hospital, Sweden. They participated in a survey-based interview before and after receiving an intervention with recommendations of at least 10 minutes of daily book reading with an interactional focus, as an add-on to ordinary speech-language pathology services. The results were analysed using descriptive statistics of the answers to the questions in the interview, as well as a thematic analysis of free-text comments. Result: The 135 families who participated in the pre-intervention interview survey reported variable reading frequency and screen time. The post-intervention interview survey was completed by 107 families. The results demonstrated significant increases in reading frequency and reading time, and a significant decrease in screen time per day. Caregivers also reported positive experiences of the daily interactive book reading. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that a speech-language pathologist-(SLP) managed, caregiver-led book reading intervention is feasible and might have a positive impact on reading, other factors related to reading, and screen time in families of children with SLCN.

Background & AimTo assess consonant proficiency and velopharyngeal function in 10-year-old children born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) within the Scandcleft project. Methods & ProceduresThree parallel group, randomized, clinical trials were undertaken as an international multicentre study by nine cleft teams in five countries. Three different surgical protocols for primary palate repair (Arm B-Lip and soft palate closure at 3-4 months, hard palate closure at 36 months, Arm C-Lip closure at 3-4 months, hard and soft palate closure at 12 months, and Arm D-Lip closure at 3-4 months combined with a single-layer closure of the hard palate using a vomer flap, soft palate closure at 12 months) were tested against a common procedure (Arm A-Lip and soft palate closure at 3-4 months followed by hard palate closure at 12 months) in the total cohort of 431 children born with a non-syndromic UCLP. Speech audio and video recordings of 399 children were available and perceptually analysed. Percentage of consonants correct (PCC) from a naming test, an overall rating of velopharyngeal competence (VPC) (VPC-Rate), and a composite measure (VPC-Sum) were reported. Outcomes & ResultsThe mean levels of consonant proficiency (PCC score) in the trial arms were 86-92% and between 58% and 83% of the children had VPC (VPC-Sum). Only 50-73% of the participants had a consonant proficiency level with their peers. Girls performed better throughout. Long delay of the hard palate repair (Arm B) indicated lower PCC and simultaneous hard and soft palate closure higher (Arm C). However, the proportion of participants with primary VPC (not including velopharyngeal surgeries) was highest in Arm B (68%) and lowest in Arm C (47%). Conclusions & ImplicationsThe speech outcome in terms of PCC and VPC was low across the trials. The different protocols had their pros and cons and there is no obvious evidence to recommend any of the protocols as superior. Aspects other than primary surgical method, such as time after velopharyngeal surgery, surgical experience, hearing level, language difficulties and speech therapy, need to be thoroughly reviewed for a better understanding of what has affected speech outcome at 10 years. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSWhat is already known on the subjectSpeech outcomes at 10 years of age in children treated for UCLP are sparse and contradictory. Previous studies have examined speech outcomes and the relationship with surgical intervention in 5-year-olds. What this study adds to the existing knowledgeSpeech outcomes based on standardized assessment in a large group of 10-year-old children born with UCLP and surgically treated according to different protocols are presented. While speech therapy had been provided, a large proportion of the children across treatment protocols still needed further speech therapy. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?Aspects other than surgery and speech function might add to the understanding of what affects speech outcome. Effective speech therapy should be available for children in addition to primary surgical repair of the cleft and secondary surgeries if needed.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate in-depth speech results in the Scandcleft Trial 2 with comparisons between surgical protocols and centers and with benchmarks from peers without cleft palate.

DESIGN: A prospective randomized clinical trial.

SETTING: Two Swedish and one Finnish Cleft Palate center.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twelve participants were 5-years-old born with unilateral cleft lip and palate randomized to either lip repair and soft palate closure at 4 months and hard palate closure at 12 months or lip repair at 3 to 4 months (Arm A), or a closure of both the soft and hard palate at 12 months (Arm C).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A composite measure dichotomized into velopharyngeal competency (VPC) or velopharyngeal incompetency (VPI), overall assessment of velopharyngeal function (VPC-Rate), percentage of consonants correct (PCC score), and consonant errors. In addition, number of speech therapy visits, average hearing thresholds, and secondary surgeries were documented to assess burden of treatment.

RESULTS: Across the trial, 53.5% demonstrated VPC and 46.5% VPI with no significant differences between arms or centers. In total, 27% reached age-appropriate PCC scores with no statistically significant difference between the arms. The Finnish center had significantly higher PCC scores, the Swedish centers had higher percentages of oral consonant errors. Number of speech therapy visits was significantly higher in the Finnish center.

CONCLUSION: At age 5, poor speech outcomes with some differences between participating centers were seen but could not be attributed to surgical protocol. As one center had very few participants, the results from that center should be interpreted with caution.

När ett barn med misstänkta tal- och språkavvikelser kommer till logoped för bedömning är det viktigt att samtliga aspekter av tal och språk beaktas. Under de år som svensk logopedi har vuxit fram, har ett flertal instrument för bedömning av barns tal- och språk tagits fram. Ett av dessa, Stora fonemtestet, som skapades i mitten av 1980-talet, har länge varit det enda vitt spridda testet av barns fonologi i landet. Testet fanns under flera år inte att beställa på förlag, vilket var ett av motiven till arbetet med att ta fram ett nytt fonologiskt bedömningsmaterial. Ett annat var att Enheten för logopedi vid Linköpings universitet sedan 2010 ingår i en större multicenterstudie med syftet att jämföra fonologiska avvikelser hos barn i olika länder. Inom ramen för detta projekt och genom några magisterarbeten i logopedi färdigställdes LINUS 2014. Som en direkt följd av det fortsatta internationella forskningssamarbetet och av feed-back från kollegor som använt materialet i sin kliniska vardag, kommer nu en ny version av materialet, LINUS 2.0. och finns för gratis nedladdning på http://phonodevelopment.sites.olt.ubc.ca/practice-units/swedish/. Vi hoppas att det även fortsatt skall komma till användning vid utredning av tal- och språkförmåga hos barn.

Linköpings universitet, 2019

Inger Lundeborg Hammarström

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Longstanding uncertainty surrounds the selection of surgical protocols for the closure of unilateral cleft lip and palate, and randomised trials have only rarely been performed. This paper is an introduction to three randomised trials of primary surgery for children born with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). It presents the protocol developed for the trials in CONSORT format, and describes the management structure that was developed to achieve the long-term engagement and commitment required to complete the project.

METHOD: Ten established national or regional cleft centres participated. Lip and soft palate closure at 3-4 months, and hard palate closure at 12 months served as a common method in each trial. Trial 1 compared this with hard palate closure at 36 months. Trial 2 compared it with lip closure at 3-4 months and hard and soft palate closure at 12 months. Trial 3 compared it with lip and hard palate closure at 3-4 months and soft palate closure at 12 months. The primary outcomes were speech and dentofacial development, with a series of perioperative and longer-term secondary outcomes.

RESULTS: Recruitment of 448 infants took place over a 9-year period, with 99.8% subsequent retention at 5 years.

CONCLUSION: The series of reports that follow this introductory paper include comparisons at age 5 of surgical outcomes, speech outcomes, measures of dentofacial development and appearance, and parental satisfaction. The outcomes recorded and the numbers analysed for each outcome and time point are described in the series.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN29932826.

Background and aim: Few studies have explored childrens emotional and behavioural reactions to cleft surgery and treatment-related stress. The objective was to investigate parents evaluations of appearance and treatment outcomes in their 5-year-old child with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), and their perceptions of how their child was coping with treatment, comparing this information with recorded postsurgical complications.Design: Three parallel group randomised clinical trials were undertaken as an international multicentre study by 10 cleft teams in five countries: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the UK.Methods: Three different surgical procedures for primary palatal repair were tested against a common procedure in the total cohort of 448 children born with a non-syndromic UCLP. A total of 356 parents completed the Scandcleft Parent Questionnaire, and 346 parents completed the Cleft Evaluation Profile.Results: The results indicated that the majority of parents were satisfied with cleft-related features of their childs appearance. Further, most children coped well with treatment according to their parents. Nevertheless, 17.5% of the children showed minor or short-term reactions after treatment experiences, and 2% had major or lasting difficulties. There were no significant relationships between parent perceptions of treatment-related problems and the occurrence of post-surgical medical complications.Conclusions: Most parents reported satisfaction with their childs appearance. However, treatment-related problems were described in some children, urging cleft centres to be aware of potential negative emotional and behavioural reactions to treatment in some young children, with a view to preventing the development of more severe treatment-related anxiety.

Background and aim: Adequate velopharyngeal function and speech are main goals in the treatment of cleft palate. The objective was to investigate if there were differences in velopharyngeal competency (VPC) and hypernasality at age 5 years in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) operated on with different surgical methods for primary palatal repair. A secondary aim was to estimate burden of care in terms of received additional secondary surgeries and speech therapy. Design: Three parallel group, randomised clinical trials were undertaken as an international multicentre study by 10 cleft teams in five countries: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the UK. Methods: Three different surgical protocols for primary palatal repair were tested against a common procedure in the total cohort of 448 children born with a non-syndromic UCLP. Speech audio and video recordings of 391 children (136 girls, 255 boys) were available and perceptually analysed. The main outcome measures were VPC and hypernasality from blinded assessments. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the prevalences in the arms in any of the trials. VPC: Trial 1, A: 58%, B: 61%; Trial 2, A: 57%, C: 54%; Trial 3, A: 35%, D: 51%. No hypernasality: Trial 1, A: 54%, B: 44%; Trial 2, A: 47%, C: 51%; Trial 3, A: 34%, D: 49%. Conclusions: No differences were found regarding VPC and hypernasality at age 5 years after different methods for primary palatal repair. The burden of care in terms of secondary pharyngeal surgeries, number of fistulae, and speech therapy visits differed.

Normative language-based data are important for comparing speech performances of clinical groups. The Swedish Articulation and Nasality Test (SVANTE) was developed to enable a detailed speech assessment. This studys aim was to present normative data on articulation and nasality in Swedish speakers. Single word production, sentence repetition and connected speech were collected using SVANTE in 443 individuals. Mean (SD) and prevalences in the groups of 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, 16- and 19-year-olds were calculated from phonetic transcriptions or ordinal rating. For the 3- and 5-year-olds, a consonant inventory was also determined. The mean percent of oral consonants correct ranged from 77% at age 3 to 99% at age 19. At age 5, a mean of 96% was already reached, and the consonant inventory was established except for /s/, /r/, /?/. The norms on the SVANTE, also including a short version, will be useful in the interpretation of speech outcomes.

The last decades, speech and language pathology services have been subject to changes, and there has been a growing demand for intervention activities to be effective and evidence-based. The aim of the present study was to investigate if and how video recording can be used to assess the use of features targeted in phonological intervention, in everyday talk by children with LI. Three five-year-old girls with phonological problems participated in the study, and data consist of video recordings of intervention sessions and of interaction at home. Three different paths of development were identified: Some targeted speech sounds are displayed in everyday interaction; Targeted speech sound is present in intervention-like activity; No displays of targeted sounds. The results of the present study clearly demonstrate that the use of video recordings, transcriptions and analysis of interaction outside of the clinical setting contribute important information that may guide planning, goal-setting and evaluation of intervention.

Mastering spatial and temporal co-ordination in speech production is a challenge for children. Voice onset time (VOT) reflects timing in speech. The objective was to study VOT in Swedish children with a diagnosed phonological impairment and compare results with normative data. Thus 38 children, aged 4-11 years, in three age-groups were audio-recorded when producing minimal pairs with the plosives /p b t d k g/. Waveforms and spectrograms were analysed. Results show that children with phonological impairment produced plosives with deviant VOT values and greater variability compared to normative data. No developmental trend was seen with increasing age. Also, no relationship was found between VOT values and degree of impairment measured by percentage phonemes correct. Furthermore no relation was found between number of errors on auditory discrimination of nine minimal pairs with the different plosives and number of deviant VOT. Findings were interpreted as displaying motor co-ordination difficulties.