How does a cleft lip affect speech?

How does a cleft lip affect speech?

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 speech characteristics are associated with cleft lip and palate?

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 speech sounds are affected by a cleft palate?

After surgical repair of the cleft palate, they should develop a large a wider range of speech sounds such as p, b, t, d, k, g so that babbling includes strings such as bababa, dadada etc. Words start to emerge around a baby’s first birthday.

How does soft palate affect speech?

This happens because the soft palate, the flexible part of the palate back near the throat, does not close tightly during speech, which lets air and sound escape through the nose.

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.

How do the cleft lip and cleft palate affect the ability to pronounce English sounds?

Speech problems: Children with cleft lip or cleft palate may also have trouble speaking. These children’s voices don’t carry well, the voice may take on a nasal sound, and the speech may be difficult to understand. Not all children have these problems, and surgery may fix these problems entirely for some.

How can I improve my cleft palate speech?

The main goals to help children with “cleft palate speech” are to:

1. Establish correct articulation (placement, manner, and voicing) using articulation therapy techniques.
2. Ensure there is good oral pressure during sound production.
3. Establish new motor speech patterns that replace speech sound errors.

How can I help my child with an unclear speech?

You can give your child a good speech model by saying the word back the way he would if he could- emphasising the important sound e.g. Your child has heard the important sound correctly produced 3 times and this will build up awareness and recognition of this sound. Let them hear you ‘fix’ the error.

How do I get rid of my Hyponasal voice?

How is a nasal voice treated?

1. tonsils or adenoids removal.
2. septoplasty for a deviated septum.
3. endoscopic surgery to remove nasal polyps.
4. Furlow palatoplasty and sphincter pharyngoplasty to lengthen a short soft palate.
5. corrective surgery for cleft palate in babies around 12 months of age.

Can a child with a cleft lip have speech problems?

A child with a cleft lip may not have many speech problems. A child with a cleft palate may need to work with an SLP. They may need help learning to make sounds and speak clearly. Some children have problems with their soft palate. The soft palate needs to move to touch the back of the throat.

How does a cleft palate affect speech?

How a cleft affects speech. A cleft palate can affect speech and communication abilities in different ways. There is huge variation in how children with a cleft develop in terms of speech, and the severity of their cleft is not always a good indication. Often, it won’t be clear how a child will be affected until they start to speak.

What is a cleft lip?

A “cleft” is a split or a divide. Cleft lips and palates happen before birth. A baby can have a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. A cleft lip may be on one or both sides of the upper lip.

What is the treatment pathway for children with a cleft lip?

These problems can often be missed or misdiagnosed, but thankfully the treatment pathway for children with a cleft includes speech and language assessments to ensure that any issues with speech are identified and managed early on. What does Speech and Language Therapy Involve?