Oral Form Discrimination in Individuals with Normal and Cleft Palates

Abstract

The extent of orosensory impairment associated with oral-facial clefts is not yet clear. Perhaps even less clear is the relationship between articu-lation errors and orosensory discrimination in persons with clefts. Mason's (3) preliminary findings indicate that there are no differences in oral sterognostic ability between persons having different types of clefts. Although scores attained by these subjects were not compared with those of non cleft persons, the conclusion might be drawn that no sensory deficit was present. Further, according to Bosma (1), congenital anomalies such as oral-facial clefts do not typically result in serious impairments of oral tactual sensation. On the other hand, when the oral stereognostic performance of twelve cleft palate adults was compared with that of thirty normal adults, the latter demonstrated superior ability (2). The purpose of the present investigation is to compare the performance of a group of persons having cleft palates with a group of non cleft persons on a test of oral form discrimination and, for the cleft palate group, to relate these results to type of cleft and adequacy of articulation. Procedure SUBJECTS. Subjects for the investigation were thirty—nine cleft palate persons ranging in age from six years, six months to twenty—nine years, four months. The mean age was twelve years, five months and the median age was eleven years, four months. These persons were seen by the investi— gator over a period of four months in a cleft palate clinic and were consecutive patients with several exceptions. Clients under six years, six months of age were not tested nor were persons with cleft lips only, submucous clefts, or velopharyngeal insufficiency in the absence of a cleft palate. Six persons eligible to be tested were not, because of time limita— tions. Twenty of the subjects tested had left unilateral clefts of the lip and palate, eleven had clefts of the palate only, seven had bilateral cleft lips and palates, and one had a right unilateral cleft lip and palate. All clefts had been surgically closed with the exception of one subject who