The national CLEFTNET project for individuals with cleft palate

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Date
2007-03
Authors
Lee, Alice S.
Gibbon, Fiona E.
Crampin, Lisa
Yuen, Ivan
McLennan, Grant
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Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Research Projects
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Abstract
Although previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of using electropalatography (EPG) for treating therapy-resistant articulation errors associated with cleft palate, until recently access to this form of treatment has been limited. For the past 10 years, however, the CLEFTNET Scotland project has provided individuals with cleft palate access to EPG therapy. CLEFTNET represented a novel form of EPG service delivery – it linked the cleft palate centres throughout Scotland to Queen Margaret University College (QMUC) in Edinburgh through an electronic network. EPG data collected in the centres were sent to QMUC, where experts conducted detailed analysis leading to a precise diagnosis of each individual’s specific articulation difficulty and suggested therapy guidelines to the specialist speech-language therapists based on their analysis. This form of service delivery has recently extended to include England, Wales and Northern Ireland to form CLEFTNET UK. This paper describes the CLEFTNET projects, discusses orthodontic issues relevant to EPG therapy for individuals with cleft palate, and presents a case study to illustrate how therapy guidelines for speech-language therapists are derived from data analysis.
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Keywords
Articulation , Speech disorders , Electropalatography (EPG) , Cleft palate , Orthodontics
Citation
Lee, A., Gibbon, F. E., Crampin, L., Yuen, I., & McLennan, G.; (2007) 'The national CLEFTNET project for individuals with cleft palate'. Advances in Speech-Language Pathology, 9 (1):57-64.
Copyright
This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the Advances in Speech Language Pathology, March 2007, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14417040601001997.