Study on development of voice and velopharyngeal competency in child

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14571923
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: Niigata University of Health and Welfare
• Principal Investigator: ISONO Shinsaku Niigata University of Health and Welfare, School of health sciences, Department of speech therapy, Professor, 医療技術学部, 教授 (10168289)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2005
• Keywords: Velopharyngeal competency / Hypernasality / Nasometer / Cleft lip and palate children / Normal children / Nasalance degree / Articulation disorder

Research Abstract

Various experiments and investigations were conducted from a viewpoint of development of velopharyngeal competency about the resonance of the voice of Cleft lip and palate children, and adjustment was performed as a research report. The contents are as follows.
In Chapter 1,the acoustic feature of the crying sound of the babyhood stage of cleft lip and palate children, nasalance degree, and those development-change were investigated. In advance of this research, the pilot survey which compares the measurement result and the hearing judging of a speech therapist by Nasometer by KAY used for investigation was carried out. As a result, the validity of this machine was proved. In main investigation, comparison examination with cleft lip children was performed, and when velopharyngeal incompetency consisted of an early stage in affecting a crying sound, and four months after the birth, it was shown clearly that velopharyngeal competency begins to work also to shout utterance.
In Chapter 2,260 non Cleft palate children which has normal nasal resonance in order to acquire a required fiducial point when using for a clinic test nasalance degree obtained using Nasometer was inspected, and data were extracted. This data was shown. As compared with cleft lip and palate children which does not have hypernasality in non Cleft palate children, nasalance degree showed the clear low value. Therefore, it became clear that it was necessary that the data of non Cleft palate children is used for a setup of a fiducial point and to create the inspection sentence which also added the dialect of an area to examination.
In Chapter 3,the result of having observed velopharyngeal competency for a long period of time was explained in full detail about 70 Cleft lip and palate children which carried out 2stage palatoplasty. The improvement of velopharyngeal competency was found over the long period of time to 6 years old after palatoplasty operation. It was what shows that a function is not immediately obtained after a way but this continues being gained in development.