Speech and Socio-Vocational Aspects of Individuals with Cleft Palate

Abstract

As part of the research program in the area of cleft palate in the Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hos— pitals, a follow-up study was conducted involving 39 individuals with a cleft of the lip and/or palate, born in 1946~47 and subsequently admitted to this hospital. The purpose of recalling these individuals was to evaluate a) facial growth and dentition, b) adequacy of surgical procedures, 0) speech skills, and d) social adequacy and general adjustment. In this manner it was hoped that more information would be gained about the effectiveness of habilitative procedures and results. Reported in the pres— ent paper is a portion of the results of these evaluations, specifically: speech, esthetic appearance, and social adequacy and general adjustment. Table 1 presents the type of cleft and type of management for all subjects. Procedure SPEECH. Speech evaluations for each subject consisted of the following: a) the 43-item Iowa Pressure Articulation Test (1), b) a 100-item articu-lation test composed of the IPAT plus 57 additional items from the Templin—Darley Tests of Articulation (6), c) a sentence articulation test of the 43 pressure items, using the sentences in the Templin—Darley manual , d) a sample of spontaneous connected speech rated by the examiner and by a panel of five trained judges for articulation defectiveness and nasality, and e) oral manometer ratios with and without bleed. Subjects were also questioned about their own evaluation of their speech proficiency. APPEARANCE. Esthetic appearance was evaluated from a full—face black and white photograph of each subject. The examiner and five other judges rated appearance on a seven-point equal—appearing intervals scale with a rating of 1 representing normal cosmetic appearance