A study of cleft palate speakers with marginal velopharyngeal competence

This study was designed as a partial test of a previously hypothesized model for a subgroup of cleft speakers who show marginal velopharyngeal competence during speech. Specifically, speakers in the model were hypothesized to show minimal but consistent nasalization of speech by several criteria. Fifty-two subjects were selected because they met one of the criteria for the model, lateral x-ray films on /s/ that showed touch closure or a small velopharyngeal opening. The subjects were then examined by the other five criteria used for defining the hypothesized model, and were found to meet, in the majority, fewer than three. These findings indicate that lateral x-ray films are not sufficient for identifying this diagnostic subgroup, if it exists. Another possible conclusion is that the model proposed is too simplistic and that cleft palate speakers with marginal velopharyngeal competency typically show more variability in speech performance than was originally implied in the model.