Current Clinical Practices In the Assessment of Velopharyngeal Closure

Abstract

A questionnaire designed to survey methods of assessing velo-pharyngeal closure and the extent of training and experience in velopharyngeal assessment was distributed to 256 randomly selected American Cleft Palate Association members. There was a 50% response rate and 94% of those responding were associated with cleft palate teams. Findings included the following: (1) the respondents rely primarily upon the use of listener judgments of spontaneous speech samples, phonological analysis, and lateral View cine/videof1uoroscopy; (2) the majority spend thirty minutes or less on an average diagnostic evaluation of velopharyngeal competency; and (3) 45% feel that they are inadequately trained in assessment of velopharyngeal closure. Clinical judgments regarding the adequacy of velopharyngeal closure are made by the surgeon, dentist, speech pathologist, and other cleft palate team members. However , examiners are not of uniform skill; there are some examiners who really know very little abut velopharyngeal closure (Curtin, 1962; Morris, jakobi, and Har—