Cleft Palate Speech-Part 2:Assessment, Intervention and
Medical Referrals Related to the School-Aged child With Cleft Palate
Jeff Steffen M.A., CCC-SLPManager, Foothills Speech and Language LLC
Children’s Hospital Colorado, Cleft Lip and Palate Team Consultant
www.foothillsspeech.org
Typical Surgical Timelines The School Aged Child
• Lip and Nose Revision Age 4-5• P.E. Tubes As needed• Secondary Management Age 4-6• Palate Repair Submucous Age 3-5• Bone Graft Age 8-10• La Fort I, II, III Age 15+• Final rhinoplasty Age 15+
Assessment of Structure and Function
• The head and face• The lip and nose• The Alveolar Ridge/anterior palate• The Mid Palate• The soft Palate
The Head and Face
Structure
• Visual alignment of parts• Use a tongue blade
Function
•Facial and cranial Nerve Tests• Symmetry of smile• Lip strength• Blink eyes• Strength against resistance• Lingual mobility• Palate mobility• Swallow• Gag reflex
The Lip and NoseStructure
• Nasal symmetry• Septal deviation• Turbinate hypertrophy• Columella length• Lip symmetry• Labial frenulum• Lip rounding
Function
• Possible nasal obstruction• De-nasal resonance• Open mouth breathing• Forward tongue placement• Allergies• Interdental distortions• Hard to occlude nose• Poor lip rounding /w/, /r/
The Alveolar RidgeAnterior Palate
Structure• Lateral segment collapse• Fistula (multiple)• Tooth in palate• Dental decay
Function• Airflow distortion• Poor lingual placement• Nasal emission• Mid-dorsal placement• Obligatory errors
– Occlusion Class III
• Aberrant sounds (sucking air through fistula)
Temporary Obturator
• Make a “Mouth Pancake”• Use bilabial sounds and low pressure sounds• Re-test Nasal Emission• Perceptual changes on vowels– Use listen tube
• Obturate or not? Pros/cons
Surgical Closure of fistulaeConsiderations
• Anterior fistula with bilateral lip/palate• Scaring and effects of future expansion• How symptomatic is it? (explain yourself)• Does size matter?• Tongue flap, etc.
The Mid Palate
Structure• Fistula
– May not be able to obturate
• Arch height• Scaring
Function• Nasal Emission• Mid dorsal stops• Backing errors• Food/liquid in palate• Effect on resonating space
“The Crux of the Biscuit”The Posterior Palate
Structure• Short Palate• Immobile Palate• Incomplete resection of
Levator• Dehiscence• Fistula• Tonsil/adenoid hypertrophy
Function• Velopharyngeal Dysfunction• Velopharyngeal Insufficiency• Velopharyngeal Inadequacy• Velopharyngeal Incompetency• Neurologic component• Velar notching• Snoring/OSA
Assessment
• YOUR EARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!• Rating Scales• Nasometry• Nasopharyngoscopy• Videoflouroscopy• Still x-ray of “eeeee”
20% require secondary management
Treatment Vs. Medical Management
Compensatory
Mis-articulation
Patterns
Glottal Stops
Pharyngeal Fricatives
VPD
FISTULA
Hearing loss
Nasal Emission
HypernasalsnoringADHD
More therapy
TreatmentThe Speech Sample
Pepperoni PizzaPick up the puppyTake a turtle to lunchDaddy ate the DoughnutsDaddy does the dishesChugga chugga choo chooFind the funny foxGo get cake and cookiesSusy slipped on the ice
Speech SampleLow Pressure Sentences
Hi how are you?Where are you?I love you. I have a yellow yoyo.Oh wow.
Sustained vowels
Eliminating Errors(Glottal Stops)
Start with Voiceless Stop /p/• Whispered (use /h/ transition to vowel)• After “ah”• Puff checks out and press checks for short oral
release of air.• Use listen tube• Lip trill (horse sound)• Use placement map
Or you can try
• Voiced /b/ but not as much tactile feedback• Especially if voicing errors occurring• Use in final position as air is moving already• Repeat final position to approximate medial• Move to whisper of initial vowel sound (uh)
• Once established much like articulation therapy.
Tricks of the Trade
• Use paper “snow” balls, cotton balls – Position of mouth to paper important
• Reverse use of listen tube• Cul-de-sac technique (pinch nose)• Discrimination (auditory/production)– Hand on throat to feel laryngeal elevation
Tricks of the Trade
• Use paper “snow” balls, cotton balls – Position of mouth to paper important
• Reverse use of listen tube• Cul-de-sac technique (pinch nose)• Discrimination (auditory/production)– Hand on throat to feel laryngeal elevation
Pharyngeal Stops
• Teach anterior placement first– Can try the yawn technique (lowers tongue base)
• Velar placement – /g/ often easier from –ng (Inga)– Hold anterior tongue “in bed”• The anti-nap technique for awareness
– Can try tongue blade to hold tongue down– Push tongue back (gagging)– Use mirror and/or video feed back
Pharyngeal Fricatives
• Release /t/ into an /s/ (don’t mention /s/)• Use straw (McD’s or Starbucks)• Determine if other phonemes affected– /f/ (pinch nose)– Bite teeth (often too hard for air flow)– Pretzel sticks or liquorish ropes– Popsicle stick (slants downward)/air over top
• “sh”..hush sound– Occlude nose
– Video clip of visual feedback
The Palatal /s/
• Teach awareness of posterior lateral blades of tongue
• Biting/pressing tongue to maxillary incisors • Straw across teeth at canines• Mouth Space and the pink alien– Mirror– Good for frontal /s/ too
The Palatal /s/
• Teach awareness of posterior lateral blades of tongue
• Biting/pressing tongue to maxillary incisors • Straw across teeth at canines• Mouth Space and the pink alien– Mirror– Good for frontal /s/ too
Phoneme Specific Nasal Emission
• Diagnose it first– Sentence without /s/– Compare to counting 60-70
• Teach awareness and discrimination– Many of the /s/ techniques can be useful
• Use placement map • Praat Software for older kids?
Hypernasal resonance
• Rarely does speech alone help• Teaching correct function/articulation can
improve it.• Over articulation techniques• Slowing rate• Possible motor coordination VP timing issue• Oral/nasal contrast (be more hypernasal)
– Sound clip of congenital VPI– Video clip of oral/nasal contrast
Referring for Medical Management
• Determine if seen by a team• Get most recent report/follow up with rec’s• Refer to SLP for consultation/2nd opinion• Write update as to why management.
Top Related