The resonatory system includes the nasal cavity and soft palate and portions of the anatomically defined respiratory and digestive systems. (Seikel, King, & Drumright, 2010).
One disorder that may affect a person’s ability to use the resonatory system to produce sufficient speech is velopharyngeal insufficiency, or VPI. This is a disorder which results in the improper closure of the velopharyngeal sphincter (soft palate muscle in the mouth) during speech, allowing air to escape through the nose instead of the mouth (Seattle Children’s
Hospital). Since there is improper closure of the velopharyngeal sphincter, this results in insufficiency of any sounds that may be needed to build up intraoral pressure. Both stops
(such as p, b, t, d, k, and …show more content…
Therefore, he or she may sound hypernasal with nasal air releases.
Additionally, vowels may seem nasalized. Nonetheless, the nasals (such as m, n, and ng) will sound normal since they are expected to be produced with the VP port open. Overall, if the velopharynx is not closed during speech, snort sounds will be produced through the nose or one may hear air coming out of the nose during speech (Seattle Children’s Hospital). The improper role of this structure will then produce a nasal tone in the voice. Luckily, there are treatments one may undergo if they are affected by this disorder. The first would be speech therapy to help with the pronunciation of words, and to teach the patient correct manner and place of articulation. Another treatment could be using a speech appliance such as an obturator, which is a modified dental retainer that helps the patient speak and pronunciate words properly. The final treatment would be speech surgery, which can be to positon the muscles of the palate into a more normal position, or to move tissue from the back of the throat towards the back of the palate. To conclude, although this disorder directly affects
One disorder that may affect a person’s ability to use the resonatory system to produce sufficient speech is velopharyngeal insufficiency, or VPI. This is a disorder which results in the improper closure of the velopharyngeal sphincter (soft palate muscle in the mouth) during speech, allowing air to escape through the nose instead of the mouth (Seattle Children’s
Hospital). Since there is improper closure of the velopharyngeal sphincter, this results in insufficiency of any sounds that may be needed to build up intraoral pressure. Both stops
(such as p, b, t, d, k, and …show more content…
Therefore, he or she may sound hypernasal with nasal air releases.
Additionally, vowels may seem nasalized. Nonetheless, the nasals (such as m, n, and ng) will sound normal since they are expected to be produced with the VP port open. Overall, if the velopharynx is not closed during speech, snort sounds will be produced through the nose or one may hear air coming out of the nose during speech (Seattle Children’s Hospital). The improper role of this structure will then produce a nasal tone in the voice. Luckily, there are treatments one may undergo if they are affected by this disorder. The first would be speech therapy to help with the pronunciation of words, and to teach the patient correct manner and place of articulation. Another treatment could be using a speech appliance such as an obturator, which is a modified dental retainer that helps the patient speak and pronunciate words properly. The final treatment would be speech surgery, which can be to positon the muscles of the palate into a more normal position, or to move tissue from the back of the throat towards the back of the palate. To conclude, although this disorder directly affects