A comparison of the results of pressure articulation testing in various contexts for subjects with cleft palates.

Abstract

Twenty-five subjects with cleft palate in each of three manometer ratio groups were administered three pressure articulation tests of varying complexity. These included a word articulation test, the reading of a sentence articulation test, and a repeated sentence articulation test. A sample of connected speech was also obtained to compare judged ratings of articulation defectiveness with scores obtained on the three articulation tests. All tests demonstrated a strong relationship to judged severity. Significant differences in performance were evident among manometer ratio groups and on articulation tests. Subjects achieved the highest percent correct articulation on the word articulation test followed by the repeated sentence articulation test and the sentence articulation. With one exception, subjects with high manometer ratios achieved the highest scores, followed by the marginal and then by poor closure groups. To explore further difference in performance among the manometer ratio groups and an articulation tests, errors on manner of production category and type of errors were examined. Subjects in the high manometer ratio group produced significantly fewer errors on fricatives; whereas, nasal distortions increased as manometer ratio decreased.