2021 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 7-13
Children with cleft lip and palate have various problems during their growth processes, including issues relating to feeding/weaning, appearance, dentition/occlusion, hearing, speech, and psychosocial problems. Many specialists are required: nurse, doctor, dentist, speech-language-hearing therapist, psychologist, etc.; and intervention is needed as a team. The conventional team approach is a "multidisciplinary team" from one institution. However, in some depopulated areas it has become difficult to maintain a multidisciplinary team because of the declining birthrate.
In the symposium titled "Aiming for QOL Improvement for Children with Cleft Lip and Palate" during the 64th Conference of the Japan Society of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, the activities of two "transdisciplinary teams" were presented. Their characteristics were: (1) assembly of individual specialists; (2) coordinated examination of specialized area; and (3) participation of the patient and his/her caregiver(s). The transdisciplinary team approach seems to be a good solution that goes beyond regional differences.
