Training infants with cleft palate to use signs for better speech development

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study investigates the effectiveness of symbolic gesture training combined with verbal input for improving speech-language development in children with cleft palate. It focuses on one-year-old children, comparing outcomes between those receiving gesture training, those receiving verbal training, and those with no intervention. The goal is to determine if early intervention can enhance language skills and reduce the long-term need for speech therapy. The study aims to fill the gap in evidence-based practices for early speech intervention in this population.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Born with cleft palate (with or without cleft lip)
* Having Dutch as mother tongue

Exclusion Criteria:

* syndromic cleft
* more than mild hearing loss (i.e. \> 40dB hearing threshold bilaterally)
* neurosensory hearing loss
* cognitive delay
* motor delay

Where it's running

• Ghent University Hospital
  Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kristiane Van Lierde, PhD — University Hospital, Ghent
• Study coordinator: Kim Bettens, PhD
• Email: Kim.Bettens@UGent.be
• Phone: +32 9 332 94 26

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Perceptions of High and Low Intensity Speech Intervention in Children with a Cleft Palate

  This study looks at how providers and children with cleft palate and their parents feel about high- versus low-intensity speech therapy to see which is more acceptable and helpful.

  Recruiting University Ghent · Ghent, East-Flanders · NCT07781566

• Suprazygomatic maxillary nerve block to reduce pain and shorten hospital stay after cleft palate repair in children

  This project tries a suprazygomatic maxillary nerve block in children having cleft palate repair to see if they need less morphine and can go home sooner.

  Recruiting Karolinska Institutet · Stockholm · NCT07279883

• Using probiotics to improve ear health in children with cleft palate

  This study tests whether giving probiotics to children with cleft palate can help improve their ear health and reduce ear problems after they get ventilation tubes.

  Recruiting University Hospital, Antwerp · Edegem, Antwerp · NCT06505330

• Comparing high and low intensity speech therapy for children with cleft palate

  This study is testing whether more frequent speech therapy sessions help Belgian Dutch-speaking children with cleft palate improve their speech and overall quality of life better than fewer sessions over a longer time.

  Recruiting University Ghent · Ghent · NCT06381713

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.