Phonological Competence in Mandarin Chinese-Speaking Children with Cleft Palate

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to document the phonological processes used by children with a cleft palate who speak Mandarin Chinese and to compare their speech production to children who do not present with a history of cleft palate. The subjects consisted of 20 children with histories of cleft palate and 20 noncleft children matched for age and gender. All subjects spoke Mandarin Chinese as their first language. The children's whole word productions were analyzed for frequency of occurrence and type of phonological process usage. It was found that children with cleft palate tended to use phonological processes more frequently than their noncleft peers. The similarities and differences in phonological process use are documented and discussed in the context of previous research. This study provides evidence for the need for phonological assessment and management of Mandarin-speaking children with a history of cleft palate.