Perceptual preferences between compensatory articulation and nasal escape of air in children with velopharyngeal incompetence

Three groups of children (eight with adequate velopharyngeal closure and normal speech, eight with velopharyngeal imcompetence and compensatory articulation patterns, and eight with velopharyngeal incompetence and compensatory articulation patterns, and eight with velopharyngeal incompetence and nasal escape of air) listened to 12 pairs of tape-recorded words. One word of each pair was produced with compensatory articulation, and the other was produced with audible nasal escape of air. Each subject indicated which word in each pair sounded better. The normal group and the group with velopharyngeal incompetence and nasal escape of air considered single words produced with compensatory articulation to be better than the same words produced with nasal escape of air. The group with velopharyngeal imcompetence associated with compensatory articulation patterns did not consider such productions to be better perceptual approximations of standard phonemes than the alternative distortion from nasal escape of air.