Relationship between Anatomical and Physiological Problems with Speech Problems in Turkish-Speaking Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the speech and resonance characteristics of Turkish-speaking children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and to investigate the relationship between oral anatomical-physiological problems and speech-resonance problems. Materials and Methods: 40 Turkish-speaking children with CLP between the ages of 3 and 15 underwent oral-motor evaluation, nasometric evaluation (The Nasometric Assessment Tool-Turkish), articulation evaluation (sentence repetition test), and perceptual resonance evaluation. Results: The most common speech errors seen in the participants were backing, differentiation of glides, voicing errors, labialisation, nasalisation, palatalisation, dentalisation and lateralisation. 35% of the participants had normal resonance, while the remaining 65% had resonance-airflow problems. A significant relationship was found between hypernasality and nasalisation, weak articulation, and double articulation. A significant relationship was found between class III malocclusion and dentalisation, lateralisation, bilabialisation; crossbite and lateralisation; missing teeth and dentalisation, palatalisation, fronting. Conclusion: There is a relationship between dental and occlusal anomalies and speech errors and between hypernasality and speech errors. In addition to articulation errors, phonological processes may also be present in Turkish-speaking children with CLP. The results of this study can be taken into consideration by speech and language therapists while conducting assessments and providing interventions for Turkish-speaking children with CLP.