A 4-year-old girl with an unrepaired cleft palate: Outcomes of late intervention

Cleft lip and palate(CL/P) are among the most common orofacial birth defects, often associated with feeding, hearing ,communication, and speech problems. A multidisciplinary approach is required for optimal management. This report describes a 4-year-old girl with an unrepaired cleft palate who presented with multiple articulation errors, reduced speech intelligibility, and low intraoral pressure. Following surgical repair of the palate, she received intensive online speech therapy. Speech assessment demonstrated a significant improvement. Compensatory articulation errors decreased progressively and reached zero at follow-up. Based on perceptual assessment, hypernasality was significantly reduced after the cleft palate surgery.