Results

"We were told that she would never talk. Now everyone is amazed!"

Laxmi, who lives in Southern India, is typical of children participating in EARTHSPEAK speech camps.

Laxmi arrived in camp with her brother (who was also born with a cleft palate), mother, and uncle, who became her primary teacher. Both children had been operated on with successful surgical results, but they were left with largely unintelligible speech. They were ridiculed in their home village and were not full participants in school or village social life. There was no possibility of a normal life for them.

The week-long EARTHSPEAK camp and four months of training by her uncle produced spectacular results for Laxmi and her brother!

The notes below Laxmi's photo tell her story in clinical terms. In human terns, she has now been given the gift of communication and the strong possibility of a normal and much more fulfilling life.

The miracle of the EARTHSPEAK method, called CORRECTIVE BABBLING, is being played out for children all over the world.

To witness the miracle of Laxmi's transformation, click on the links (below) to the pre- and posttest QuickTime video clips.

More information about CORRECTIVE BABBLING

Pretest:

Type of cleft: secondary palate
Age at surgery: 7
Surgery type: pushback palatoplasty
Speech intake: September 2004
Airflow direction: not established
Articulation: poor
Nasality: objectionable
Nasal emissions: severe
Glottals: present
Nasal grimace: not observed
Intelligibility: context known 60%, context unknown <60%
Hearing assessment: normal hearing
Trainer: uncle
Time in training: one-week speech camp
Sociability: poor

Posttest (after 4 months of training by Laxmi's uncle):

Age: 8
Date of review: January 2005
Airflow direction: established
Articulation: good
Nasality: none
Nasal emissions: none
Glottals: none
Intelligibility: context known 100%, context unknown 99%
Trainer: uncle
Period of therapy: 4 months
Practice: daily 3 x 10 minutes
Sociability: good

 

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