A basis for assessment of children with neuromotor deficits or oral structure impairment is provided for both Thai and South East Asian children with similar physiological development and languages with similar sounds.

To assess the standard nasalance scores for normal Thai children in their native language, we organised a prospective descriptive study at the Ear, Nose, and Throat Outpatient Department, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University. Emotionally stable, healthy school children (n = 188) between Grades 1 and 6 with normal intelligence were enrolled in the study. The students were randomly selected according to their economic status. Each subject was asked to read three standard Thai passages: the first devoid of nasal consonants, the second having a mixture of oral and nasal consonants, and the third full of nasal consonants. A nasometer was used to analyse the scores. The mean (SD) percentage scores for the three groups were 14.3 (5.8), 35.6 (5.9), and 51.1 (6.4), respectively, similar to scores for the English language. Extraneous influences on the scores such as sex were considered but were not significant. The passages proved suitable for use as a baseline for the assessment of velopharyngeal insufficiency and rehabilitation planning in Thai children.

Background: There is a critical need for speech therapy services for people born with cleft lip and/or palate in developing countries. Objective: Assess the effectiveness of a speech camp and follow-up session for children with cleft lip and/or palate. Methods: A Community-Based Model for Speech therapy was implemented at Suwanaphum Hospital District, Roiet, Thailand. Thirteen children with cleft lip and/or palate (3; 6-13 years) attended a four-day speech camp and a one-day follow-up session (six months later) for remediation of their articulation disorders. Paraprofessional training was also provided. Pre- and post-tests were administered to the participants, caregivers, and paraprofessionals to determine the effectiveness of the program. A pre- and post-articulation test, as well as an audiological evaluation were administered. Five speech and language pathologists provided speech therapy, both individual and group, for a total of 18 hours during the four-day speech camp and six hours in the one-day follow-up session. The median difference of the number of articulation errors was determined by results of the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results: There was a significant decrease in articulation errors following both the main speech camp and the follow-up session (z = 3.11, p < 0.01; z = 2.87, p<0.01, respectively). Caregivers’ and health care providers’ satisfaction ratings for participation in the speech camps ranged from good to excellent. Conclusion: A Community-Based Model of both a speech camp and follow-up session provided an effective speech therapy treatment for children with cleft lip and/or palate.

It has been reported that 50% of children with specific language impairment (SLI) have persistent SLI, which has been associated with various risk factors. To date, however, there has not been a comprehensive review of studies into different risk factors that could be used by clinicians to facilitate parental counseling and individual case-management. Several studies about the factors associated with SLI were reviewed based on study design. This article presents a review of factors associated with later language development and SLI, and reviews the risk for children who have SLI during early life. The summary provides data including specific biologic and environmental factors that are significantly associated with SLI, to ensure early intervention for children with SLI in the presence of identified risk factors.

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