Group therapy is often used in pediatric rehabilitation care at children’s hospitals and pediatric outpatient clinics. However, Miller Children’s expert pediatric rehabilitation team has advanced beyond the “status quo” in group rehabilitation therapy, by starting its very own speech and language group therapy program for children with cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies.

The program consists of two different groups, the Talking Turtles and Chatty Cheetahs. The purpose of these groups is to provide therapy that addresses the unique characteristics of speech and language development of a child with cleft lip and/or palate. Therapy targets receptive language, expressive language, speech development, resonance, oral motor and social/pragmatic skills. Each group consists of a maximum of six children and is led by two licensed speech-language pathologists. Each group meets for 60 to 90 minutes, twice a week.

Having a cleft palate group therapy program is unique and Miller Children’s is the only children’s hospitals in the region to offer this advanced group therapy care designed specifically for the needs of a child with cleft lip/palate. Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth abnormalities of the mouth and lip that occur when the sides of the lip and the roof of the mouth don’t fuse together as they should. Due to the unique speech and language needs of these children, working in a group setting can sometimes be viewed as a challenge.

“It’s often perceived that children with cleft lip and palate should only receive individualized speech therapy care,” says Christy Bowers, manager, pediatric rehabilitation, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. “And sometimes that may be the case, but we have found a great way to actually start getting these kids treated sooner and developing their language skills while also addressing the unique speech characteristics of children with a cleft palate. We have also found that the children are more compliant with wearing their obturator [speech device worn in the mouth], because other kids like them are wearing it. And not to mention the social reward of connecting them with other kids and parents who are going through similar experiences. We even have ‘parents only’ classes that teach parents about working with their child at home.”

Children with cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies often demonstrate multiple medical issues. Therefore, the speech-language pathologists collaborate closely with the Stramski Craniofacial Cleft Lip/Palate team to ensure the best treatment outcomes and that children selected for group therapy are ready for it. They carefully screen the children to match them in appropriate groups according to age, readiness for more “social therapy” and like language levels. Also, the program is set up for progression through two different groups. Talking Turtles is the more “beginner-level” group emphasizing building receptive and expressive language skills. The Chatty Cheetahs group works on targeted practice of specific sounds.

In addition, the pediatric rehab team includes a music therapist who works with the two speech-language pathologists to create special songs, that are devised to work on specific sounds that the kids need to practice. It is not uncommon for Chatty Cheetahs group therapy sessions to be filled with singing.

Nobody should be surprised if the Chatty Cheetahs end up signing their own music deal making them the “Chatty Cheetah’s Quartet.” And all that, after having such few words just a few months ago.