Parents' perceptual preferences between compensatory articulation and nasal escape of air in children with cleft palate

Two groups of parents (27 parents of children with cleft palate and 25 parents of normal children) listened to 14 pairs of tape-recorded words produced by two children with cleft palate. In each pair, one word was produced with compensatory articulation and the other with audible nasal escape of air. The parents indicated their preference by selecting from each pair the word that sounded better. Parents considered single words produced with compensatory articulation to be better than single words produced with nasal escape of air. Results are interpreted in terms of existing hypotheses and information concerning the acquisition of speech by children with cleft palate.