Single‐word intelligibility in speakers with repaired cleft palate

Abstract

Many speakers with repaired cleft palate have reduced intelligibility, but there are limitations with current procedures for assessing intelligibility. The aim of this study was to construct a single-word intelligibility test for speakers with cleft palate. The test used a multiple-choice identification format, and was based on phonetic contrasts which are problematic for speakers with cleft palate. Fifteen Cantonese speakers with repaired cleft palate served as speakers. The intelligibility score of each speaker was calculated, based on the number of words correctly identified by eight naive listeners. The most problematic contrasts, based on mean error proportions, were place of articulation (stops and nasals), stop versus fricative, and stop versus affricate. The most robust contrasts were also determined, and physiological and language-specific interpretations offered. Single-word intelligibility could be predicted with 91% accuracy using three phonetic contrasts. The importance of an 'explanatory' intelligibility test, for focusing treatment and monitoring severity, is discussed.

Early and later vocalization skills in children with and without cleft palate

“…There have been a number of studies examining intelligibility in older children and adults with CLP, although none have examined children less than 3 years ( [41,42] for reviews). Whitehill and Chau [43] studied the correlation between the production of high pressure consonants and intelligibility in individuals with CLP. This study found that stop consonants were among those highly correlated with intelligibility.…”

Children's Attitudes toward Peers with Unintelligible Speech Associated with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

“…Reduced intelligibility is often evident in the speech of individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP; Whitehill and Chau, 2004), which is a craniofacial developmental abnormality that affects approximately one in every 500 to 1000 births (Peterson-Falzone et al, 2010). Speech difficulties, including abnormal resonance (e.g., hypernasality), audible nasal air emissions, nasal turbulence, and articulation errors, are frequent in this population.…”

Effect of the number of presentations on listener transcriptions and reliability in the assessment of speech intelligibility in children

“…, Morris et al . , Whitehill and Chau , Wilson and Spaulding , Zajac et al . ) and sometimes adults (Borrie et al .…”

“…, McAuliffe et al . , Sussman and Tjaden , Whitehill and Chau ), with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy (Hustad and Beukelman , Hustad and Cahill , Hustad , Hustad et al . ) or neurological diseases (Borrie et al .…”