Multidimensional Language Performance in Turkish-Speaking School-Aged Children with Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective Language difficulties are increasingly recognized in children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP), yet little is known about their language profile in Turkish-speaking populations. This study aimed to examine multidimensional language performance in Turkish-speaking children with a history of NSCLP. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Acoustically controlled University-affiliated audiology laboratory. Participants Twenty-three children aged 4-8 years with repaired NSCLP and clinically normal hearing. Intervention Language abilities were evaluated using the Test of Turkish School-Age Language Development (TODIL). Main Outcome Measure Performance on TODIL subtests and composite language scores was compared with age-based normative data using one-sample t -tests. Results Children with NSCLP performed significantly below normative expectations across all TODIL subtests and composite language measures (all p < .001), with large effect sizes. The pattern of results indicated widespread deficits across receptive, expressive, lexical, syntactic, and phonological domains. Conclusion Turkish-speaking children with NSCLP may exhibit widespread language difficulties despite clinically normal peripheral hearing. These findings support the inclusion of comprehensive language assessment and long-term language monitoring as part of routine clinical follow-up in this population.