A child with a cleft palate. Image from Smile Train
MANILA, Philippines — With telehealth services becoming the pillar of general health care amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s biggest cleft charity announced on Wednesday the launch of its Filipino mobile speech application which aims to help children with cleft palate access speech therapy online.
World’s leading cleft charity Smile Train said that the app was developed to provide parents, guardians, and children speech therapy services and a platform to connect with healthcare professionals.
A cleft occurs when certain body parts and structures do not fuse together during fetal development. Clefts can involve the lip and/or the roof of the mouth, which is made up of both hard and soft palate.
According to Smile Train, one in 700 babies are born with a cleft lip and/or palate globally. Clefts cause difficulties eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking.
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“Technology has allowed us at Smile Train to deliver the speech therapy needs of children with cleft throughout this pandemic. Safety is our foremost priority, and I am glad that this app allows us to safely serve the needs of these kids in the comfort and safety of their own homes,” said Smile Train’s South East Asia Director Kimmy Flaviano in a statement.
The app comes with kid-friendly features and lively graphics with a wide array of educational videos and speech therapy sessions — all in Filipino.
