The Relationship between Speaker Factors and Speech Intelligibility of Children with Cleft Palate

Background & Objectives: Children born with cleft palate have problems in resonance, articulation and language ability. Additionally, cleft palate affects hearing, communication and psychology. The most specific and remarkable trait in these children is speech disorder.The primary cause of articulation and resonance disorders in children with cleft palate is velopharyngeal inadequacy (VPI). Children with cleft palate have lower speech intelligibility because of the VPI. Methods: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between speech intelligibility and speaker factors, such as articulation ability, language ability, reading ability, and nasalance score, in children with cleft palate. Eleven children with cleft palate and 11 normal children were included in this study. Results: We found a statistically significant correlation between speech ntelligibility and reading ability in children with cleft palate. However, other variables, including articulation ability, language ability and nasalance score, did not show any significant correlation. Through multiple regression analysis, we found that reading ability is a significant independent variable to speech intelligibility. This study confirms and suggests differences in speech intelligibility and speaker factors between children with cleft palate and normal children. Speech intelligibility, articulation ability, language ability, and nasalance score did not show statistically significant differences. However, reading ability did produce significant differences between the two groups. Discussion & Conclusion: Based on these results, approaches in therapy to improve the reading ability of children with cleft palate could be handled in clinic, and further research on various aspects that showed a significant difference from normal children, such as articulation ability and language ability, could be conductedope