title: Evaluation of cleft palate speech.
abstract: Children born with palatal clefts are at risk for speech/language delay and speech problems related to palatal insufficiency. These individuals require regular speech evaluations, starting in the first year of life and often continuing into adulthood. The primary role of the speech pathologist on the cleft palate/craniofacial team is to evaluate whether deviations in oral cavity structures, such as the velopharynx, negatively impact speech production. This article focuses on the assessment of velopharyngeal function before and after palatal surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and The Craniofacial Center, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, 811 South Paulina Street, Chicago, IL 60612-4353, USA. bsmith@uic.edu
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Guyette
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010159:Palate / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome