Phonological Characteristics of Early Vocabulary among Children with Cleft Palate, Late Talking Children, and Typically Developing Children

Abstract

Objectives: Children with cleft palate (CP) and late talking children show delays in early lexical and phonological development. This study aims to compare the phonological characteristics of early vocabulary among children with CP, late talking children, and typically developing children. Methods: The participants were 20 children with cleft palate, 20 late talking children, and 20 typically developing children. Spontaneous speech samples obtained during interaction were phonetically transcribed. Comparisons among the three groups were performed based on number of different words (NDW), consonant inventory, consonant frequencies, ratio of the initial sounds of eojoel by types, and percentage of correct initial consonants of eojeols. Results: Children with CP showed greater NDW than late talking children. Late talking children and children with CP produced significantly fewer consonants than typically developing children. Children with CP showed limited consonant inventory, which was restricted to nasals. The ratio of eojoel beginning with stops was higher in late talking children than in children with CP, but the ratio of eojoel beginning with nasals was higher in children with CP than in late talking children. Late talking children, as compared to children with CP, had a higher percentage of correct initial consonants of eojeols. Conclusion: The results suggest that late talking children have a more limited vocabulary than children with CP and have delayed phonological development compared to their typically developing peers, however the accuracy of consonants is higher in late talking children than children with CP. These findings have implications for specialized intervention approaches for children with CP and late talking children.