Speech-language therapy

By participating in our collaborative care program, your school/community speech-language pathologist is welcomed as an active and collaborating member of your child’s extended medical team.

Partners in cleft palate or craniofacial speech therapy

The speech-language collaboration program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital is an opportunity for the school or community speech-language pathologist to partner with a speech-language pathologist from the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Institute (CPCI) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in the care of a client with cleft palate or craniofacial difference. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association continuing education credits are awarded for participation in this program.

About the program

The program is designed to give the school/community clinician informa­tion about the speech disorders associated with cleft lip and palate, and the best practices for treating them.

Collaboration gives the CPCI clinician insights on the intricacies of school and community practice, and the environment in which the child needs to function.

The program provides a foundation for collaborative care among the CPCI multi-specialty medical team, the community care providers, and the family.

How does this program work?

A coordinated appointment, lasting one to three hours, is scheduled at St. Louis Children’s Hospital with a speech-language pathologist affiliated with the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Institute. Parent, child and community clinician should all attend.

Both speech-language pathologists listen to the patient, review specific articulations, discuss techniques and work together to develop an effective treatment plan.

Parents can discuss home programming approaches with both clinicians. Releases can be signed to permit ongoing communication between the speech-language pathologists.

The family’s medical insurance is billed for a speech evaluation. There is no fee for the participating speech pathologist.

Learner Objectives:

The participant will:

  1. Identify articulations associated with cleft palate or craniofacial differences that should be treated therapeutically.
  2. Discuss treatment techniques that are effective in correction of the identified articulations.
  3. Identify sequences most effective for correction of the identified articulations.
  4. Discuss effective home program activities and develop a plan with parents.

How to enroll in this program

Once the family and clinician agree to participate, the parent should contact the representative below to schedule an appointment with the CPCI Speech-Language Pathologist most familiar with the child:

Lynn Marty Grames, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
314.215.6958
Email contact: [email protected]

Mary Blount Stahl, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
314.215.6955
Email contact: [email protected]

Mark Brown, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
314.518.7336
Email contact: [email protected]