Speech rate of compensatory articulation in patients with cleft lip and palate

Due to a primary insufficiency of the velopharyngeal valve, many patients w ith cleft tip and palate exhibit secondary compensatory articulation. Using two new computer programs, we examined the effect of compensatory articula tion on the mean rate of speech production in 146 patients with cleft lip a nd palate. Patients were grouped according to severity of articulatory dysf unction. In a rapid syllable repetition task, the mean rate of syllables pe r second was found to be significantly reduced in patients with severe comp ensatory articulation. In a sentence repetition task, the mean total time w as significantly increased for these patients and the beginning of the targ et word was significantly delayed. The results show that the mean rate of s peech is significantly reduced in patients with cleft lip and palate who ex hibit compensatory palatolalic articulation. Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger A G, Basel.