Leeper H A, Tissington M L, Munhall K G
School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 1998 May;35(3):215-21. doi: 10.1597/1545-1569_1998_035_0215_tcovfi_2.3.co_2.
This investigation was designed to examine the performance of children with normal speech on temporal aspects of aerodynamic tasks related to velopharyngeal closure.
The investigation was a descriptive evaluation of variability in aerodynamic features related to velopharyngeal function during multiple repetitions of the word "hamper."
Children without speech or velopharyngeal difficulties were seen in an experimental laboratory setting for the evaluation procedures.
Twenty-seven subjects were recruited for the experiment. Three subjects were rejected because of behavioral difficulties, and the remaining 24 subjects were subdivided into 4 groups of 6 children (3 males and 3 females) aged 3, 6, 9, and 12 years. The children, who were from local schools and day care centers, volunteered to participate in the experiment. All of the children had age-appropriate speech, language, and hearing abilities, as determined by screening tests administered by one of the examiners (L.T.).
Mean and variability of pressure-flow measures of peak intraoral air pressure and peak nasal airflow and the temporal measures accompanying each air pressure or airflow pulse were evaluated for the age groups of children examined in the experiment.
The aerodynamic procedures employed to evaluate velopharyngeal closure during speech were reliable for use with young children. There was a numerical trend toward decreased duration of the temporal parameters with increasing age. Thus, children demonstrated durational values similar to those previously reported for normal-speaking adults. In general, peak oral air pressure and nasal airflow values were like those of previous investigations and demonstrated low variability across all age groups of children tested.
The data from the present investigation provide a preliminary base for comparison of temporal features of velopharyngeal closure for the aerodynamic evaluation of children with impaired velopharyngeal function.
本研究旨在考察言语正常儿童在与腭咽闭合相关的空气动力学任务的时间方面的表现。
本研究是对在多次重复说出“hamper”一词时与腭咽功能相关的空气动力学特征变异性的描述性评估。
在实验室内对无言语或腭咽困难的儿童进行评估程序。
招募了27名受试者参与实验。3名受试者因行为问题被排除，其余24名受试者被分为4组，每组6名儿童（3名男性和3名女性），年龄分别为3岁、6岁、9岁和12岁。这些儿童来自当地学校和日托中心，自愿参与实验。所有儿童经一名检查者（L.T.）进行的筛查测试确定，具有与其年龄相符的言语、语言和听力能力。
对实验中所检查的各年龄组儿童，评估口腔内气压峰值和鼻腔气流峰值的压力-流量测量的平均值和变异性，以及伴随每个气压或气流脉冲的时间测量值。
用于评估言语过程中腭咽闭合的空气动力学程序对幼儿可靠。随着年龄增长，时间参数的持续时间有数值上减少的趋势。因此，儿童表现出的持续时间值与先前报道的正常言语成年人相似。一般来说，口腔气压峰值和鼻腔气流值与先前研究结果相似，并且在所有测试的儿童年龄组中变异性较低。
本研究数据为比较腭咽功能受损儿童的空气动力学评估中腭咽闭合的时间特征提供了初步基础。
