Cleft Phonatory Clinic

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In order to assess phonatory issues, the clinician should assess the quality of the voice and make note of any irregularities or behaviors that result in excessive force on the vocal folds. If there positive findings are noted, the child should undergo a diagnostic voice evaluation for further assessment and recommendations (Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2007). Resonance disorders can be assessed during the oral peripheral examination by observing movement of the velopharyngeal mechanism during phonation of the /a/ sound. In addition, the presence of hypernasality and nasal emissions should be ascertained during the examination (Pena-Brooks & Hedge, 2007).
Treatment Programs or Methods One piece of advice Knutson (2015) offers to speech-language …show more content…

In the cleft palate population, early intervention focused on articulation may begin even before reconstructive surgery. The objective is to teach correct placement of the articulators before compensatory articulations are learned or to correct compensatory articulations already being utilized as soon as possible. By learning correct motor movements and using them repeatedly, the child builds muscle memory. This process expedites the establishment of intelligible speech and may curb utilization of compensatory productions. David J. Zajac, PhD, CCC-SLP asserts that "the most important thing the SLP has to do is help the child understand his faulty articulatory placement and how it can be corrected" (Knutson, 2015, Addressing Speech Issues in Children with Cleft Palates section, para. 6). By facilitating the child's understanding of how the incorrect placement of the articulators effects speech, the child is better able to develop strategies and techniques of correcting misarticulations. One gross misarticulation common among children with cleft palate is the compensatory articulation of glottal stops for other …show more content…

This technique can be used for single words as well as spontaneous conversation. To reinforce the concept of loose contact of the articulators, the clinician can draw an analogy to things that touch lightly or softly, like a snowflake falling on your nose for children who are able to understand figurative language. As the child learns to lighten articulatory contacts, this will redirect the airflow more into the mouth than the nasal