We like the sound of that

Blue Peaks Giving Circle funds grant to purchase key equipment

Patients born with cleft lip and cleft palate often have a long road ahead of them. Cook Children’s is one of the few hospitals in the country with a specialized team of craniofacial surgeons and speech-language pathologists, specifically trained to address all medical needs for patients with these conditions.

Within their first year of life, these patients have to undergo at least two surgeries to close the clefts, which are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both. These surgeries will help them eat, speak and even hear more effectively.

But even after the corrective surgeries, these kids may experience other complications as they grow. A common complication is difficulty distinguishing their mouth sounds from their nose sounds while talking. This creates nasality in the child’s speech, which can make it difficult for family and friends to understand them.

When kids struggle to speak clearly and to be understood, their communication skills may not progress appropriately. They can get frustrated or, even worse, they may experience social isolation. When kids begin experiencing these complications, it may be time for another surgery to address the structural problem that is causing the nasality.

Our speech-language pathologists work with these patients to identify nasality in their speech. They use a tool called a nasometer to measure the sound energy in the nose compared to the mouth. This is important because our craniofacial surgeons rely on the results to help them determine if a patient needs surgery.

Until recently, Cook Children’s had only one nasometer and it was located at our medical center in Fort Worth. But most of the families who need to use the nasometer, attend regular appointments with their speech-language pathologists at one of our three outpatient rehabilitation equipment clinics in Hurst, Mansfield or Fort Worth. Scheduling an appointment to use the nasometer meant extra time and travel for families who already travel from all over the region.

Thanks to funding from Blue Peaks Giving Circle at Cook Children’s, we were able to purchase three additional nasometers, one for each of our outpatient rehabilitation clinics. Having a nasometer at each clinic allows our speech-language pathologists to measure nasality during speech evaluations, as well as in post-surgery treatment.

“I am so thankful to have a nasometer at Mansfield that I can use with any patient at any time,” said Lori Cochran, speech-language clinical coordinator. “Recently, I have been treating a little girl who had surgery on her palate last year. Her surgeon asked for an update on her progress before their annual follow-up. I was able to use the nasometer in our next couple of sessions and give her the very specific data she needed. Her mom was so grateful to have that information and to know that her daughter was ready to graduate from therapy!”

These three pieces of equipment, made possible by the generosity of donors in our communities, help our medical experts give better care to their patients, as well as make that care more convenient. Thank you to all the members of Blue Peaks Giving Circle for seeing the world through our families’ eyes, and for working to make their days a little brighter.