When a baby is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, these conditions can also affect the appearance of their nose. Their nostril, nasal tip or septum (the skin that runs between the nostrils) may look uneven.

After a child undergoes surgery for their cleft palate, a fistula (opening) can develop in the roof of their mouth. Food or drink can leak from the mouth into the nose when this occurs. A fistula can also affect the child’s speech.

This rare congenital (present at birth) syndrome causes a baby to have an underdeveloped jaw, tongue too low in the throat, a U-shaped cleft palate or obstruction (blockage) of the upper airway, which may affect your child's breathing. [Watch Sophia's story]

This group of hereditary (passed down in families) connective tissue disorders causes somewhat flattened facial features, eye problems, cleft palate, hearing loss or joint problems.

This condition occurs when muscles in the soft palate do not close while the baby is developing in the womb.

With this condition, a child is born with multiple severe facial gaps or splits in more areas of the face than just the lip and palate; clefts may include the mouth, eyes, cheeks, forehead or ears.

This genetic disorder (caused by genes) leads to malformations in the head and face, which can cause breathing and feeding problems.

This condition affects the development of the face, often causing cleft lip or cleft palate, missing teeth, or small, unusual mounds of tissue on the lower lip.

This genetic condition causes developmental problems and may cause a cleft palate or other palate problems, facial differences, heart issues, problems with their immune system, low calcium levels, kidney problems, or speech and feeding difficulties.

The VPI opening is narrowed or closed to allow air to escape through the mouth when they speak. A piece of tissue is taken from the back of your child’s throat and attached to the roof of their mouth (palate) to improve speech characteristics.

A filler material is injected into the VPI opening to prevent air from escaping through the nose. The filler may be the child’s own fat or collagen (a protein naturally occurring in the body’s bones, muscles and blood). The procedure closes the VPI gap and corrects speech and communication difficulties.

Some children with VPD may be recommended for speech therapy.

Contact our speech therapist, Kristen Deluca, MS, CCC-SLP, at 954-276-1552 to schedule an in person or telehealth appointment.

This program provides specialized speech therapy for VPD patients on a weekly basis. Our speech team can also work with your local speech therapy provider if your child needs added support to improve their speech.

Flaps of tissue are raised from behind each tonsil and attached to the back of the throat. Doing so narrows or closes the opening that allows air to escape through their mouth, improving speech characteristics.