Objective :To investigate possible functional disorders of central auditory processing and language in school-age children with cleft palate through an assessment of the characteristics of the P300 and N400 event-related potentials (ERPs).

Methods : This study included 28 school-age children with cleft palate, aged 6 to 12 years, and 30 children without cleft palate as a control group. The P300 and N400 ERPs were selected as indexes of the central auditory processing and language functions of children in both groups. The data were statistically compared between the two groups.

Results :Compared with the controls, the children with cleft palate showed a significantly prolonged P300 latency (331.73 ± 14.94 ms vs. 348.64 ± 14.66 ms, P < 0.05) and a significantly decreased P300 amplitude (13.47 ± 2.24 μV vs. 12.07 ± 2.46 μV, P < 0.05). Similarly, the N400 latency of children with cleft palate was significantly prolonged compared to that of controls (431.07 ± 17.90 ms vs. 408.23 ± 18.04 ms, P < 0.05), and the N400 amplitude was significantly decreased compared to that of controls (13.75 ± 2.12 μV vs. 15.17 ± 2.34 μV, P < 0.05).

Conclusion:School-age children with cleft palate may have central auditory processing disorders and language dysfunctions.