The Americleft Speech Project: A Training and Reliability Study.

Objective: To describe the results of two reliability studies and to assess the effect of training on interrater reliability scores.

Design: The first study (1) examined interrater and intrarater reliability scores (weighted and unweighted kappas) and (2) compared interrater reliability scores before and after training on the use of the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented (CAPS-A) with British English-speaking children. The second study examined interrater and intrarater reliability on a modified version of the CAPS-A (CAPS-A Americleft Modification) with American and Canadian English-speaking children.

Universal parameters for reporting speech outcomes in individuals with cleft palate.

Objective: To achieve consistency and uniformity in reporting speech outcomes in individuals born with cleft palate with or without cleft lip using perceptual parameters that characterize their speech production behavior regardless of the language or languages spoken.

Design: A working group of six individuals experienced in speech and cleft palate was formed to develop a system of universal parameters for reporting speech outcomes in individuals born with cleft palate. The system was adopted in conjunction with a workshop held in Washington, D.