The prevalence of apraxia characteristics in patients with velocardiofacial syndrome as compared with other cleft populations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the oral-motor function of children with a history of cleft lip and palate, cleft palate only, velocardiofacial syndrome, and children with normal oral structures to determine if children with velocardiofacial syndrome have more apraxia characteristics than the other populations have. Design: The Apraxia Profile (Hickman, 1997) was administered to all participants in a prospective study. Setting: The investigation was conducted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Participants: In this study, 10 children with cleft lip and palate, 10 with cleft palate only, 7 with velocardiofacial syndrome, and 47 with normal structures were tested. Results: This study revealed that when compared with children with normal structures, children with cleft lip and palate did not demonstrate significant apraxia characteristics, children with cleft palate only demonstrated some apraxia characteristics, and children with velocardiofacial syndrome demonstrated the most apraxia characteristics. Conclusions: There appears to be a high prevalence of apraxia characteristics in the speech of patients with velocardiofacial syndrome. This information has implications for the type of treatment recommended. Further investigation is warranted with a larger patient population and a focus on the association of abnormal brain structure with apraxia in this population.