Relationship between the perception of hypernasality and social judgments in school-aged children.

Purpose : This study investigated both the ability of children to rate nasality and the relationship of those ratings to expert ratings and social acceptance judgments. Method : A total of 10 speech samples were judged for nasality by 44 children ranging in age from 8 to 11 and by an expert judge. Listeners rated nasality on a 3-point response scale. The peer listeners also made five social acceptance ratings about each speaker. Results : Kappas for interrater reliability were moderate to substantial. There was no difference between peer ratings and expert ratings. As ratings of nasality increased, social acceptance ratings became more negative. Conclusion : Professionals who evaluate and treat children with cleft palate should consider the negative social consequences of even mild hypernasality.