Interprofessional care is crucial for patients with severe medical conditions, specifically craniofacial anomalies. Cleft lip and cleft palate are common birth defects, but treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach to increase the chance of a successful outcome (Robin, et. al., 2006). Texts pertaining to this suggest a central focus on enhancing the quality of life not only for the patients themselves, but also for their families and especially the mothers (Khanchezar, 2019). The teamwork approach to treating patients with cleft lip and cleft palate has been widely accepted in most developed regions of the world as the standard for care (Khanchezar, 2019). About 40% of children born with cleft lip and palate will develop a communication disorder, and the majority of these patients will be treated before entering elementary school (Bedwinek, et. al., 2010). When these patients enter grade school, they typically see a school-based SLP who typically does not have as much exposure to craniofacial anomalies as a medical SLP does (Bedwinek et. al., 2010). This research paper aims to investigate the different needs a SLP has when serving on cleft lip and palate teams.

Ally would like to thank her faculty sponsor Saneta Thurmon for their support of this project.