Can cleft palate cause speech problems?
Can cleft palate cause speech problems?
Children with a cleft that affects their soft palate (the part towards the back of the throat) may have problems with speech that include sounding nasal. This is caused by the soft palate not being able to properly close off the mouth from the nose while speaking and therefore letting air escape through the nose.
What are cleft speech characteristics?
Speech development is then discussed from a phonological perspective interpreting reported characteristics as ‘cleft-type developmental processes’, for example, lack of target stabilisation; compensatory articulations; active/passive strategies; and systematic sound preference.
Can you talk with a cleft palate?
Around half of all children with a cleft palate will need some form of Speech and Language Therapy, usually up until the age of 7. Some adults with a cleft may still have issues with their speech, whether or not they received Speech and Language Therapy when they were younger.
How can I help my child with cleft palate speech?
The main goals to help children with “cleft palate speech” are to:
- Establish correct articulation (placement, manner, and voicing) using articulation therapy techniques.
- Ensure there is good oral pressure during sound production.
- Establish new motor speech patterns that replace speech sound errors.
How do you fix Hypernasal speech?
Feedback for hypernasality or nasal emission: Ask the child to try to reduce or eliminate the sound coming through the tube as he produces oral sounds and then words with oral sounds. Have the child alternately pinch and open his nose during production of the sound.
How do you fix a Hyponasal voice?
How is a nasal voice treated?
- tonsils or adenoids removal.
- septoplasty for a deviated septum.
- endoscopic surgery to remove nasal polyps.
- Furlow palatoplasty and sphincter pharyngoplasty to lengthen a short soft palate.
- corrective surgery for cleft palate in babies around 12 months of age.
