Like all children, those with clefts begin learning about speech from their very first day of life. Typical goals of the therapy are to :
- Establish correct articulatory placement
- Maximize oral pressure for the pressure consonant sounds (plosives, fricatives, and affricates)
- Maximize oral-pharyngeal articulatory function. The overall goal of therapy is to have the child achieve normal speech and communication for their age and developmental level.
