Speech Therapy

Speech therapy after cleft lip/cleft palate surgery is crucial for children as they learn how to properly use their repaired palate to produce clear speech sounds. During our Medical Missions, we provide our patients with this much-needed support.

After surgery, our volunteer speech therapists introduce patients to blowing exercises with bubbles or feathers, which are designed to help them direct air forcefully out of their mouth, strengthening the muscles in the soft palate to improve speech. Patients also take time practicing sounds and words with the speech therapist that they struggled with prior to their procedure.

Our volunteers give each patient’s family information to take home to aid in practicing their new speech skills. As an organization, we provide each patient with follow-up speech therapy at local partner organizations for up to two years.