Phonological Process Analysis of Articulation Development in Children with Cleft Palate

Abstract

This study investigated differences in speech sound acquisition in terms of error patterns between children with cleft palate and normally developing children. A singleward articulation test was periodically administered through the speech acquisition period, from 2 to 6 years, to 20 cleft palate children. The children demonstrated no postoperative velopharyngeal insufficiency and acquired all Japanese speech sounds naturally. The same articulation test was also administered to a control group of 20 children in five age groups from 2 to 6 years. Both speech samples were then analyzed focusing on 14 phonolgical processes. The results were as follows. (1) Frequency of occurrence of the tested processes was higher in the children with celft palate but the suppression period of the processes was about the same, i. e. the 6-year-old level, in both groups. (2) Palatalization was the most common process in both groups, but the start of suppression of this process was delayed in the children with cleft palate. (3) Backing was seen only in the cleft children. (4) Stopping became frequent later in the cleft children than in noncleft children. From these results it was found that even children with repaired clefts who acquired all speech sounds without speech remediation appeared to be influenced by past and/or present structural deficits and showed slightly delayed or different articulation development from normal childern regarding phonological processes.