title: Phonology in Swedish-speaking 3-year-olds born with cleft lip and palate and the relationship with consonant production at 18 months.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 50% of children born with cleft palate present speech difficulties around 3 years of age, and several studies report on persisting phonological problems after palatal closure. However, studies on early phonology related to cleft palate are few and have so far mainly been carried out on English-speaking children. Studies on phonology related to cleft palate in languages other than English are also warranted.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess phonology in Swedish-speaking children born with and without unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at 3 years of age, and to identify variables at 18 months that are associated with restricted phonology at age 3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen consecutive children born with UCLP and 20 children without cleft lip and palate were included. Transcriptions of audio recordings at 18 months and 3 years were used. Per cent correct consonants adjusted for age (PCC-A), the number of established phonemes, and phonological simplification processes at 3 years were assessed and compared with different aspects of consonant inventory at 18 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCC-A, the number of established phonemes, and the total number of phonological processes differed significantly at 3 years between the two groups. Total number of oral consonants, oral stops, dental/alveolar oral stops and number of different oral stops at 18 months correlated significantly with PCC-A at 3 years in the UCLP group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a group, children born with UCLP displayed deviant phonology at 3 years compared with peers without cleft lip and palate. Measures of oral consonant and stop production at 18 months might be possible predictors for phonology at 3 years in children born with cleft palate.
authors.affiliation: Division of Speech and Language Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klintö
authors.lastname: Eva-Kristina-Salameh
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: Traci
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lohmander
mesh_terms: D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D013060:Speech; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013548:Sweden
keywords: cleft palate; consonant production; early development; phonology; predictors; speech