Deviant articulation in a cleft palate child following late repair of the hard palate: A description and remediation procedure using electropalatography (EPG)

Abstract

Older children with repaired cleft palates who have unresolved speech difficulties present the clinician with a particular challenge, since they do not respond readily to conventional therapy techniques (Noordhoff, Kuo, Wang, Huang and Witzel, 1987). This study describes the use of EPG in the investigation and remediation of a 13-year-old cleft palate boy, who presented with an apparently intractable posterior pattern of articulation. This subject also had received delayed hard palate surgery, which took place at the age of 11 years. EPG printouts of palato-lingual patterns provided information that both confirmed perceptual judgements and also revealed details of articulatory movements that could not be detected from the acoustic signal. A treatment procedure using EPG as a visual feedback device was successful in establishing correct tongue placements. Possible relevant aetiological factors relating to the development of posterior tongue placements are discussed.