If your child was born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, you’ve likely encountered a whirlwind of medical terms, specialist sessions, and juggling of appointments.
When a child is born with a cleft condition, the journey often involves more than just surgery. Cleft conditions are structural differences that can impact speech clarity, but with the right speech therapy support, your child can be a confident, effective communicator.
The wonderful news for Australian families is that the path to support is becoming more accessible. As of March 1, 2026, the Australian government has expanded Medicare rebates for individuals under 25 who are suspected of having, or are diagnosed with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, giving families the breathing room to focus on the person who matters most: their child, and the big ideas they are ready to share.
To understand how we can best support that voice, it helps to look at what is happening “under the hood”. Not as a medical problem to be fixed, but as a unique communication style to be nurtured.
Understanding Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
A cleft lip is a physical opening in the upper lip which can range from a small notch to a complete separation that extends into the nose.
A cleft palate involves the hard or soft palate (the “ceiling” of the mouth).
Both cleft lip and palate are clinically described as structural differences. These can cause distortions to speech due to overcompensations and air escaping through the nose, making certain sounds like ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘t’, or ‘d’, tricky to produce clearly.
These differences occur early in pregnancy when the facial structures don’t quite join up. It’s a common structural difference, and while it might change how a child produces sound, it certainly doesn’t change the value of what they have to say!
Identifying a Cleft Condition
In many cases, cleft lip and/or palate differences are identified during pregnancy scans or at birth. However, some “submucousal” (hidden) clefts might go unnoticed until a child starts talking.
Signs to look for in daily life include:
- A “nasal” quality to their voice (sounding like they have a permanent cold).
- Milk or water coming out of the nose during feeding.
- Difficulty building up enough “breath pressure” to blow out birthday candles or bubbles.
- Persistent challenges with speech sounds that don’t improve with age.
Diagnosing a Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate
A formal diagnosis of a cleft condition is established through a multidisciplinary framework. This collaborative effort to confirm the diagnosis and design a comprehensive care plan typically involves a:
- GP
- Plastic surgeon
- Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist
Treating a Cleft Lip and Treating a Cleft Palate
A whole care team is involved in treating a cleft palate and cleft lip. This ensures all aspects of a child’s development are addressed. Your multidisciplinary team for cleft treatment and intervention may include:
- GP: To support overall health, refer to specialists and help to coordinate communication within the team.
- Speech pathologist: To provide intervention for speech sounds and feeding.
- Plastic surgeon: To surgically close clefts and ensure optimal function.
- Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist: To support optimal airway (breathing) and hearing functions.
- Audiologists: To monitor hearing health.
- Orthodontists: To manage dental and jaw alignment.
- Psychologists: To support the child’s social-emotional development and the family’s overall well-being.
Want personalised advice?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call with an experienced speech therapist to see how we can support your child.
Can Speech Therapy Help Children with Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate?
A speech pathologist plays a crucial role in the care of a child with a cleft lip or palate, providing essential support both pre- and post-surgery.
This includes intervention to support speech sound development and manage feeding difficulties.
Before starting speech therapy intervention, your speechie will complete various assessments to identify the areas of speech therapy that your child needs extra support in. This may include: speech sounds, feeding or any other developmental areas you have concerns with!
During every step of the journey, your speech pathologist should work closely with your family, GP, and team of specialists as part of a holistic model of treatment.
Holistic and Neuroaffirming Approach
A holistic and neuroaffirming approach to speech therapy for cleft conditions has a clinical focus that extends beyond traditional “drills” and looks at the child as a whole. For example, intervention should focus on:
Functional Clarity
Speech pathologists work on strategies that help the world understand your child’s ideas, focusing on the sounds that have the biggest impact on their daily life.
Social Confidence & Self-Advocacy
Speech therapists can help your child feel empowered to speak up in the classroom or on the playground, fostering a sense of pride in their communication style.
Feeding and Oral Function
For younger children, speech pathologists provide professional and highly-experienced guidance on safe and comfortable feeding, which is often the first step in the cleft journey.
Holistic Case Management
Your speech pathologist should not work a vacuum. They should provide comprehensive case management, actively collaborating with your child’s broader medical and allied health team including: Plastic Surgeons, ENTs, Audiologists, and Paediatricians, to ensure our therapy goals align with their surgical and developmental timeline.
Speechies can use household items, your child’s favourite toys or interests and interactive tools that keep children motivated and excited about their progress.
At Pop Online Speech Therapy, we work with you and your child to navigate their unique anatomy, celebrating the way their brain and body work together. Just like you, we want your child to be a confident communicator, not just a “clear” one.
How to Receive Medicare Funding for Cleft Conditions
Navigating the Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) can feel like learning a second language. However, the 2026 updates are a game-changer for speech therapy for a cleft lip or cleft palate.
Under the “Diagnosis & Treatment for Eligible Disabilities” initiative, “Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate” are now explicitly included. Here is the breakdown:
- The Rebate: You can claim $87.25 per session.
- Diagnosis/Assessment: You are eligible for a maximum of 8 sessions over an individual’s lifetime to support the diagnostic process (maximum 4 per discipline).
- Treatment: You can access up to 20 allied health treatment sessions in total. These are usually released in blocks of 10. After the first 10, you’ll have a quick “check-in” visit with your GP to access the remaining 10.
In addition to including cleft conditions in the the “Diagnosis & Treatment for Eligible Disabilities” initiative, “Speech Sound Disorders” have also been added.
That means, if you don’t use all 8 diagnosis rebates during the assessment of your child’s cleft lip and/or cleft palate, you could use the remaining rebates on speech therapy assessment for speech sound disorders with a speech pathologist.
Example:
Cleft lip and/or cleft palate diagnosis: 6 rebated sessions
Speech sound disorder: 2 rebated sessions
= full diagnosis rebate
Although your child may tick multiple of the eligible disabilities, such as “Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate” and “Speech Sound Disorder”, the rebates are only issued once in an individuals’ lifetime.
Choosing the Right Speech Pathologist for Cleft Conditions
By utilising online speech therapy, you can access the right speech pathologist who has additional training and experience in supporting cleft treatment. This ensures you make the most of your rebated speech therapy sessions with a speech therapist who is the best fit to provide the intervention that your child needs.
At Pop Online Speech Therapy, we have over 85 speech pathologists from around Australia who provide support straight to your home through video call. We prioritise holistic, quality of life support and work with your clinical team to provide the right treatment for your child.
When children can easily communicate, their world opens up – socially, academically, and emotionally.
Want to learn more about online speech therapy for your child?
We offer a free 15-minute discovery call with our experienced speech pathologists to discuss your child’s needs and see how we can best support your family’s journey.
Book Your Free 15-Minute Discovery Call Today
References:
1. Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025, December). Diagnosis and treatment for complex neurodevelopmental conditions: Fact sheet. Australian Government.
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-12/diagnosis-and-treatment-for-complex-neurodevelopmental-conditions-fact-sheet_0.pdf
