Speech and language development in children with acquired subglottic stenosis

Abstract

Most children with acquired subglottic stenosis require a tracheostomy. This paper describes the communication skills of children with tracheostomies before and after decannulation. There are also a small number of children with acquired subglottic stenosis who do not require a tracheostomy. They are rarely referred for speech therapy. Quiney et al. (1986) in a retrospective review described this group as all having normal speech development. It should be noted, however, that the lack of comment of a speech delay in the medical notes is inconclusive. Unless there is an ongoing study with a speech therapist routinely assessing the speech and language development of this group, one cannot conclude categorically that this group is always free of problems in their speech development.