Reading in Subjects With an Oral Cleft: Speech, Hearing and Neuropsychological Skills

To evaluate speech, hearing, and neuropsychological correlates to reading among children, adolescents, and young adults with nonsyndromic cleft of the lip and/or palate (NSCL/P). Method: All testing was completed in a single visit at a Midwestern university hospital. Subjects in both the NSCL/P (n = 80) and the control groups (n = 62) ranged in age from 7 = 26 years (average age = 17.60 and 17.66, respectively). Subjects completed a battery of standardized tests evaluating intelligence, neuropsychological skills, and word reading. Subjects with NSCL/P also underwent speech assessment, and past audiology records were evaluated. Results: After controlling for age and socioeconomic status, subjects with cleft performed significantly worse on a test of word reading. For subjects with cleft, word reading deficits were not associated with measures of speech or hearing, but were correlated with impairments in auditory memory. Conclusion: These findings show poorer reading among subjects with NCL/P compared with those without. Further work needs to focus on correlates of reading among subjects with cleft to allow early identification and appropriate intervention/accommodation for those at risk.