Rough draft.This research track is under review with Dr. Atit's lab. Content and sequence may still change.
Craniofacial Research Track
Session 19The Whole Patient, FebruaryLens: Biomedical Innovations
Feeding and speech across the early years
Discovery question
As a newborn, Mateo could not build suction at the breast or bottle, and as a toddler some of his words came out through his nose. What does each of these tell us about structure?
An open makes it hard to seal the mouth, so both feeding and certain speech sounds are harder. Specialized feeding tools and speech-language therapy connect the function back to the structure.
The plan
Prerequisite check
Before this page, you should know
- The tensor veli palatini is a muscle that pulls open the Eustachian tube when we swallow or yawn.
- The Eustachian tube drains the and equalizes its air pressure with the throat.
If not, review
Today's new idea is only
An open makes it hard to seal the mouth, so both feeding and certain speech sounds are harder. Specialized feeding tools and speech-language therapy connect the function back to the structure.
Learn first
What to learn
Goal: Explain why an unrepaired or healing makes suction and some speech sounds difficult, and describe how feeding support and speech-language therapy help over the early years.
Know by the end
- Suction needs a sealed mouth; an open lets air leak between the mouth and nose, so a baby cannot build the pressure to feed normally.
- Specialized bottles and feeding positions let a baby with a get enough milk safely.
- Many speech sounds need the to close off the nose; an open or weak palate can make speech sound nasal.
- A assesses and coaches sounds, and works alongside the surgical repair, not instead of it.
- Function (feeding, speech) follows from structure (the seal the provides), so changes in structure change function.
The plan
Guided notes
1
Why suction needs a seal
Model start: To feed, a baby lowers pressure inside a sealed mouth so milk is pulled in, which is why a leak between the mouth and nose makes suction hard.
- Explain in one sentence why a baby needs a closed mouth to draw milk.
- Predict what happens to suction if there is an opening between the mouth and the nose.
2
Helping a baby feed
Model start: Specialized bottles that deliver milk with light pressure, plus an upright feeding position, help a baby with a feed safely.
- List two ways a feeding team can help a baby with a get enough milk.
- Note one sign a care team watches to be sure feeding is going well.
3
From palate to speech
Model start: Some sounds need the to close off the nose, so an open palate can make speech sound nasal until the repair and therapy do their work.
- Complete the sentence: Some sounds need the to close off the ____, so an open palate can make speech sound ____.
- Describe how a and the surgeon work as a pair over time.
Explore
Reading the Research
What to read
Read the overview section at the top of the page only. Cleft lip and cleft palate (overview)
Why this source matters
This is the published evidence behind today's idea: An open makes it hard to seal the mouth, so both feeding and certain speech sounds are harder. Specialized feeding tools and speech-language therapy connect the function back to the structure.
Words to unlock first
Reading moves
- Skim the title and abstract first to get the gist.
- Circle the one sentence that states the main claim.
- Box the evidence the authors give for that claim.
- Mark one sentence that confuses you, and move on.
Stop point
You do not need every detail on the page. Stay with the parts that connect to Mateo.
Your output
Write one claim-evidence sentence: what this source claims, and the one piece of evidence that backs it up.
Lab day
Using the database (what to capture)
MedlinePlus
Open the tool Plain-language explanations of a gene or condition, written for patients and families.
When you use this: Use this when a research paper is too dense, or when you need to explain a finding to Mateo's family in everyday words.
What the screen looks like
Step by step
- 1Open medlineplus.gov/genetics and search the gene or condition (IRF6).
- 2Read the summary written in everyday words.
- 3Note the conditions the gene is linked to at the bottom of the page.
Capture these fields
- Topic: IRF6 gene
- Plain-language summary: IRF6 helps the tissues of the face join correctly before birth.
- Linked conditions: Van der Woude syndrome; nonsyndromic cleft
How to read it: Start here when a research paper is too dense. MedlinePlus gives you the gist in everyday words so you can go back to the harder source knowing what it is about.
Lost? About MedlinePlus GeneticsLearn first
Pick your level
Level 1, Guided
Use the sentence starters, a word bank from the vocabulary, a labeled diagram, and the exact source link.
Level 2, Collaborative
Complete a partly blank model or table and explain it.
Level 3, Independent
Make a claim from a new example or an unfamiliar entry in the same database.
The plan
Work as a research team
Team roles
- Manager: keeps the group moving
- Recorder: writes the shared model or table
- Evidence checker: verifies each claim against the source
- Reporter: explains the group's reasoning
Process reflection
- What evidence changed your thinking today?
- What did your group disagree about, and how did you resolve it?
- What question is still unresolved?
Check yourself
Demonstration of learning
By the end of this session, submit ONE of: a labeled diagram with a 2-sentence explanation; a claim, evidence, reasoning paragraph; a completed data table from a real database; or a one-question exit ticket using today's vocabulary.
Meets standard if your explanation correctly connects structure, timing, gene or protein function, or evidence source to Mateo's case: Explain why an unrepaired or healing palate makes suction and some speech sounds difficult, and describe how feeding support and speech-language therapy help over the early years.
How this is graded (rubric)
For: Explain why an unrepaired or healing palate makes suction and some speech sounds difficult, and describe how feeding support and speech-language therapy help over the early years.
| Criterion | Proficient | Developing | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in. | Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank. | Several parts are missing. |
| Accurate | The science and data are correct and match the evidence. | Mostly correct, with a small factual slip. | Key science or data is wrong. |
| Scientific reasoning (CER) | States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning. | Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing. | Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning. |
| Professional communication | Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it. | Readable but disorganized or missing labels. | Hard to follow. |
| Submitted | Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed. | Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed. | Not turned in. |
How the model answer scores against this rubric
- CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "Explain why an unrepaired or healing palate makes suction and some speech sounds difficult, and describe how feeding support and speech-language therapy help over the early years.".
- AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
- Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
- SubmittedProficient: It would be turned in on Schoology and confirmed.