A systematic review of early speech interventions for children with cleft palate.

What is already known on the subject Children with CP±L show difficulties with early speech development and often have restricted speech sound inventories. They may reach the canonical babbling stage later than children without CP±L and studies have shown that 20% of children with CP±L have speech which is considered unintelligible or barely intelligible at age 5. It has been proposed that early intervention can lessen the impact of CP±L on speech development. However, currently, the evidence for early interventions for children with CP±L is limited, with the majority of studies focusing on children aged 3 years and older. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This paper reviews the evidence for different types of early interventions for speech provided to children born with CP±L and whether these interventions are effective in supporting speech sound development. In this review, early intervention is defined as intervention provided to children in the first 3 years of life. This review describes intervention approaches and how they are delivered for this population. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? In the UK, children born with CP±L and their families are supported by National Health Service (NHS) services over a 20-year period and speech and language therapy sessions may take place over many weeks and months. If providing early intervention in the first 3 years of life is effective, there is the potential for improved speech outcomes in early childhood and a reduced burden of care on children, families and services. This review considers the evidence for early speech intervention for children with CP±L in the first 3 years of life and identifies areas for future research.