Relationships of speech-related and nonspeech variables to speech intelligibility of children with palatal and lip anomalies/Liens entre les variables orales et non orales et l'intelligibilite de la parole des enfants ayant des anomalies aux levres et palatales

This investigation aimed to identify variables that predict intelligibility ratings for children with cleft lip and/or palate. Speech-related variables under investigation were: (a) phonological deviation average (PDA), (b) mean length of response (MLR), (c) resonance, and (d) phonation. Nonspeech variables were: (a) age, (b) gender, (c) cleft type, and (d) hearing status. Data were collected from 50 children (32 boys; 18 girls), ages 3-5 years, with cleft lip and/ or palate (8 cleft lip; 15 cleft palate; 27 both). Speech intelligibility, resonance and phonation were rated by four trained listeners. The speech-related variables that contributed significantly to the prediction of speaker intelligibility ratings were PDA, MLR and hypernasality. Hearing status and anomaly type were predictive nonspeech variables. The results underline the importance of including phonological analysis in the speech assessment of children with cleft lip and/ or palate.