Expressive Language and Vocabulary Development of Tamil Speaking Children with Repaired Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the development of expressive language and expressive vocabulary in children with repaired cleft lip and palate at 30 months of age. A case control study design with longitudinal follow up of the subjects from 10 to 12 months of age till 30 months was employed for this purpose. For the purpose of this paper, the data on expressive language measures at 30 months of age have been analysed and reported. Fourteen children with non-syndromic repaired cleft lip and palate (both lip and palate operated before one year of age) and seven typically developing children along with their mothers participated in this study. All the children aged around 30 months had normal hearing sensitivity (pure tone average below 20dBHL) and intellectual development (based on Developmental Screening Test, Bharatraj, 1983). Size of expressive vocabulary was obtained using Tamil translation of MacArthur Bates Communication Inventory (Sethuraman, in progress). The expressive language age was obtained using the 3-Dimensional Language Acquisition Test (Herlekar & Karanth, 1995). Both the measures were compared between the two groups. Mann-Whitney test revealed significant differences between the two groups of children on expressive language age (p=0.000), with children with cleft showing lower scores than typically developing children. Though expressive language age differed significantly between the two groups, no significant differences were obtained in the size of expressive vocabulary (p=0.412). Children with repaired cleft lip and palate have deficits in development of expressive language. However, their vocabulary development appears to be in par with that of typically developing children.