title: A case description of speech disturbance and treatment following corrective surgery for stress velopharyngeal incompetence.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a motor learning guided (MLG) approach to speech treatment in a unique case of speech disturbance following surgery for stress velopharyngeal incompetence (SVPI). The patient was a 20-year-old female college student. Treatment took place over 6 sessions and focused on eliciting productions through a hierarchy of clinician support, with an emphasis on self-evaluation and -correction. Acoustic measurements and ratings from the treating clinician and unfamiliar listeners revealed a speech disturbance following surgery that was corrected following speech treatment. The patient's main difficulty appeared to be in producing the vocalic/postvocalic approximant, /r/, although vowel distortions were also noted. These difficulties may be explained by the structural alteration and formation of scar tissue as a result of surgery. The results provide initial support for an MLG approach to treating an acquired speech disturbance following SVPI surgery; however, additional research is warranted.
authors.affiliation: a School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University , Tallahassee , FL , USA and.
authors.forename: Toby
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Macrae
authors.affiliation: a School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University , Tallahassee , FL , USA and.
authors.forename: Julie A G
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stierwalt
authors.affiliation: b Department of Woodwind Performance , Florida State University , Tallahassee , FL , USA.
authors.forename: Kensley A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Behel
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000002:abnormalities; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acoustic analysis; motor–learning-guided approach; perceptual ratings; speech disorder