Speech therapy cannot correct VPI
. Speech therapy can only correct abnormal placement, including compensatory productions that result in nasal emission after VPI is corrected. Do not use blowing exercises, sucking exercises, velar exercises or oral-motor exercises!
How can Nasalization be reduced?
Does cleft palate affect speech after surgery?
All children who are born with cleft palate have velopharyngeal dysfunction resulting in hypernasality (too much airflow through the nose) until the cleft is repaired.
After repair, some children still have velopharyngeal dysfunction
. However, with additional intervention, most will have normal speech by age 5.
How can I improve my hypernasality?
- Stimulability probe: Try to get the child to imitate oral resonance.
- Altering Tongue Position: Try for a lower, posterior tongue placement.
- Open Mouth: Have the child speak with his mouth more open.
- Change Volume: Try different volumes to see which has less nasality.
How can I improve my cleft palate speech?
- 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 does cleft lip affect speech?
Individuals with cleft lip and palate may also exhibit dysphonia. This is characterized by
breathiness, hoarseness, and low intensity of voice during speech tasks
. This is usually due to increased respiratory and muscular effort, and hyper-adduction of vocal folds while attempting to close the velopharyngeal valve.
What does Hyponasal speech sound like?
Hyponasal speech is the sound of speech that results from too little air escaping through the nose (sounds like
talking with a stuffy nose
). It would be hard to normally pronounce the letter “m” for example.
Does a cleft palate affect speech in adults?
Adults with a cleft may have speech issues even if they received Speech and Language Therapy as children
. Problems with speech can be because of a learned problem where they have learned to make sounds in the wrong way growing up or a structural problem where there is something wrong with the mouth or palate.
What causes Hyponasal speech?
Hyponasality occurs when there is not enough sound resonating in the nasal cavity (nose) during speech. This type of resonance makes the patient sound “stopped up.” This can be due to blockage or congestion in the throat or nose.
Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are often the cause
.
Why does my child speak nasally?
Nasal speech (hypernasality) and nasal air emission (air escaping down the nose when talking) happen
when the back of the soft palate (roof of the mouth) does not fully close against the upper walls of the throat (pharynx) during speech, leaving the nasal cavity open
.
How does a Nasometer work?
It is typically used to assess the extent of nasal escape in cleft palate and provide feedback during therapy and other clinical applications. It works by
measuring the acoustic output from the oral and nasal openings cavities and calculating the ratio
.
What are obligatory errors?
a) Obligatory errors:
The sounds which are produced incorrectly before the surgical repair
are known as obligatory errors. It is also known as “Passive errors”. Common obligatory errors include hypernasality (too much nasal resonance), nasal emission, weak consonants, and short utterance length.
What causes Hypernasal speech?
Hypernasal speech is a disorder that causes abnormal resonance in a human’s voice due to increased airflow through the nose during speech. It is caused by
an open nasal cavity resulting from an incomplete closure of the soft palate and/or velopharyngeal sphincter
.
What is articulation speech?
Articulation refers to
making sounds
. The production of sounds involves the coordinated movements of the lips, tongue, teeth, palate (top of the mouth) and respiratory system (lungs). There are also many different nerves and muscles used for speech.
Is cleft palate completely curable?
Cleft palate is among the most treatable birth defects in this country
.
Is cleft palate a disability?
FACT:
A cleft is not a ‘disability’
. It may affect a child in ways that mean they need extra help, but most children with a cleft are not affected by any other condition and are capable of doing just as well at school as any other child.
At what age is cleft palate repair?
Most times, cleft palate repair is done when the child is older,
between 9 months and 1 year old
. This allows the palate to change as the baby grows. Doing the repair when the child is this age will help prevent further speech problems as the child develops.
Are cleft lip hereditary?
The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate (or both) are unknown, although
hereditary (genetic) factors sometimes play a small role
. A cleft lip or cleft palate (or both) is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do during the pregnancy.
What problems can result from a cleft palate?
While most babies with cleft lip can breast-feed, a cleft palate may make sucking difficult.
Ear infections and hearing loss
. Babies with cleft palate are especially at risk of developing middle ear fluid and hearing loss. Dental problems.
How does dysarthria affect speech?
Dysarthria occurs when the muscles you use for speech are weak or you have difficulty controlling them. Dysarthria often causes
slurred or slow speech that can be difficult to understand
.
How is hypernasality treated in speech therapy?
The treatment of hypernasality secondary to velo- pharyngeal insufficiency may include surgical intervention, a prosthetic device, or speech therapy. It should be noted that changing velopharyngeal structure with surgery or a prosthesis does not change function. Therefore,
speech therapy is indicated in most cases
.
Can you fix a nasally voice?
What can I expect after palate repair?
Most children are back to their usual behaviour about a week after surgery
. It usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks for the incision to heal. Your child may need to wear padded arm splints for 1 to 2 weeks after surgery to prevent rubbing the surgery area.
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
.
What is the role of the speech language pathologist on a cleft palate team?
A speech pathologist is a critical part of your child’s cleft palate team. Speech pathologists
provide support from the early days by assisting with feeding and into childhood as your child masters speech with the continuous changes they will undergo the first few years of life
.
