Molly Pettitt

• Language Skills of Adults and Adolescents with Cleft lip and/or Palate: A Scoping Review
• Master of Speech and Language Sciences

Research shows that children with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) are more likely to experience early language delay than their peers, and literature on children’s language development indicates that language difficulties present at age four are more likely to persist.

However, there is little research beyond childhood of language difficulties in individuals with CLP. Therefore this scoping review aimed to identify the quantity, variety and outcomes of research investigating language skills of adults with CLP to understand the long-term impact of these difficulties and the quantity of research
available.

This review found 21 papers which investigated this topic. The majority of this research lacked detail on the language skills of participants. This indicates more robust research is needed into this area, particularly as the limited evidence available suggests that these language difficulties in individuals with CLP persist into adulthood.

Funded by: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Project Supervisor: Dr Stephanie van Eeden