Examining Percent Consonants Correct Produced by Preschool Children With and Without Cleft Palate Using the American English Phrase Sample

ObjectiveExamine the percent consonants correct (PCC) produced by 3- and 4-year-old children with and without cleft palate using the American English Phrase Sample (AEPS) from the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented-Americleft Modification (CAPS-A-AM) protocol.DesignProspective, cross-sectional study.SettingPublic research university.ParticipantsSixty preschool age children were included: 30 with cleft palate and 30 without cleft palate. Each group was comprised of 15 children aged 3;0 to 3;11 (years; months) and 15 children aged 4;0 to 4;11.InterventionsImitation of the AEPS.Main Outcome MeasuresTotal PCC and PCC by manner of production were calculated from the AEPS. Group differences were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test; data are reported as median and interquartle range (IQR).ResultsThe median total PCC for 3-year-olds with cleft palate was 38% (IQR = 24-58), which was significantly lower (<i>p</i> = 0.0001) than the 3-year-olds without a cleft (70%; IQR = 60-77). Similarly, 4-year-olds with cleft palate produced a median PCC of 40% (IQR = 9-67), which was significantly lower (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) than 4-year-olds without a cleft (86%; IQR = 84-96). Only 20% (<i>n</i> = 3) of 3-year-olds and 7% (<i>n</i> = 1) of 4-year-olds with cleft palate produced a total PCC within of the IQR of their noncleft peers' total PCC. Across both age groups, children with cleft palate produced stops, fricatives, affricates, liquids, and consonant clusters with significantly lower accuracy than their same-age peers.ConclusionsPCC scores derived from transcription of the AEPS may offer speech language pathologists a practical way to assess consonant accuracy using an imitation stimulus already integrated into clinical protocols.