JCPSLP Vol 22 No 2 2020

means intervention will be meaningful and functional. Integral to this is working in an interdisciplinary model, and collaborating with clinical nurse consultants, psychologists, and other team members as needed for each child and family to support children across the lifespan (e.g., Stock et al., 2020b). Part of that intervention may be to act as a client’s advocate (e.g., if they are being excluded at their ECEC centre, or explaining communication strategies to extended family members) (Appendix B). Appendix B contains information that families in the study said they would have liked to have known when their babies were born. A draft of this handout was shared with families from the study during its development to enable member checking of the study’s findings, and families provided feedback to ensure that it reflected their voices and wisdom. The capacity for reflective practice, an interest in and a desire to uphold the rights of children, and being respectful of families including their activities and 1. SLPs can learn a lot from families by taking time to interview and by using family-centred practice 2. Taking an ethnographic approach to assessment allows for building trust and rapport with families; consider where the children spend their time (e.g., day care vs. home) – also shifts power to families as experts on their own children and enables them a “home ground advantage” to share their home setting and showcases strengths and perspectives 3. SLPs can draw on their training when working with young children with CP±L such as using phonological analysis, and looking beyond the cleft diagnosis 4. SLPs can work collaboratively with their client’s cleft team SLP to learn about specific cleft speech characteristics as well as other professionals (e.g., occupational therapists to work on sensory needs) 5. SLPs can design goals with families’ priorities in mind to recognise their experiences, strengths and challenges 6. SLPs can be innovative – use technology to connect with families and specialist SLPs and to observe daily life (e.g., mealtimes) 7. SLPs can be mindful of the other challenges the child and family may be facing (e.g., hearing loss or behavioural challenges participation, environmental factors and personal factors, rather than focusing exclusively on body structures and body functions, provides the basis of a long-lasting and trustworthy relationship between clinicians, children and families so that SLPs may better learn from their clients. Limitations There are several limitations to the application of this research protocol in clinical speech-language pathology settings with young children with CP±L and their families. Firstly, in the Toddlers with Cleft Palate Study, time spent with families, as well as completing and scoring the range of assessments, was considerable. The study presented a comprehensive model for gathering information; however, elements could be incorporated into regular clinical practice, rather than the entire approach being used. Time Box 2. Take-home messages

spent with families also represented a possible burden for them, and not all families may want or need that level of involvement. Being family-centred also means matching the approach to a family’s desires, and this may mean for some families, the SLP making the choices and decisions for them. Conclusion This paper provides speech-pathologists with clinical insights from the Toddlers with Cleft Palate Study, and some suggestions for working with young children with CP±L and their families if they are new to working with these clients. Findings from the study included the benefits of using an ethnographic approach and pairing assessment results with observations during assessment, applying a strengths-based approach to goal-setting and intervention, and forming partnerships with families, extended families and educators. Acknowledgements This research was funded by an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship awarded to the first author to support her higher degree by research (PhD). The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. References Baker, E. (2017). Children’s independent and relational phonological analysis (CHIRPA): Australian English . Sydney, Australia: Author. Chapman, K. L. (2004). Is pre surgery and early postsurgery performance related to speech and language outcomes at 3 years of age for children with cleft palate? Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics , 18 (4–5), 235–257. doi:10.1080/02699200410001693486 Cronin, A. (2020). Toddlers with cleft palate: Enhancing communication through holistic child- and family-centred practice . (Doctoral thesis), Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia. Cronin, A., & McLeod, S. (2019). Craniofacial anomalies. In M. J. Ball & J. S. Damico (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of human communication sciences and disorders (pp. 515–519). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020a). Applying the ICF-CY to specialist speech-language pathologists’ practice with toddlers with cleft palate speech. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal , 57(9), 1105-1116. doi:10.1177/1055665620918799 Cronin, A., McLeod, S., & Verdon, S. (2020b). Holistic communication assessment for young children with cleft palate using the ICF-CY, 51(4), 914-938. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools . doi:10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00122 Cronin, A., Verdon, S., & McLeod, S. (2020). Persistence, strength, isolation and trauma: An ethnographic exploration of raising a child with cleft palate . Manuscript submitted for publication. De Lamo White, C., & Jin, L. (2011). Evaluation of speech and language assessment approaches with bilingual children. International Journal of Language and DeLuca, K. (2020). Involving all adults in treatment after a toddler’s cleft palate surgery. The ASHA Leader , 25 (2), 36–37. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2011). Researching with young children: Seeking assent. Child Indicators Research , 4 (2), 231–247. doi:10.1007/s12187-010-9084-0 Communication Disorders , 46 (6), 613–627. doi:10.1111/j.1460-6984.2011.00049.x

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JCPSLP Volume 22, Number 2 2020

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology