A selected review of palatal training procedures.

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Craniofacial Surgery
• Medical Engineering

Background:

• Velopharyngeal closure deficits affect speech and are typically managed with surgery or prosthetics.
• Experimental palatal training procedures offer alternative or adjunctive approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and analyze various experimental palatal training procedures for velopharyngeal deficits.
• To identify key variables for consideration in future research on these training methods.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of published experimental palatal training procedures.
• Analysis of treatment types, evaluation methodologies, and subject characteristics across studies.

Main Results:

• Experimental procedures for velopharyngeal training vary significantly.
• Key differentiating factors include treatment modality, outcome evaluation, and participant criteria.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to optimize palatal training procedures.
• Standardizing evaluation and considering subject characteristics are crucial for advancing treatment efficacy.