Evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of Arabic SNAP test for children with hypernasality.

UNLABELLED: Nasometry is a method of measuring the acoustic correlates of resonance through a computer-based instrument called nasometer. High nasalance scores in comparison to normative data suggest hypernasality and/or other nasality disorders, while low scores suggest hyponasality. Normative values of nasalance for Egyptian Arabic speakers were established using the Arabic SNAP (Simplified Nasometric Assessment Procedures) test. OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Arabic SNAP test to allow for its use in the differentiation between normal and hypernasal speech in Egyptian Arabic-speaking children. METHODS: Nasalance scores of normal children (n=92) on Arabic SNAP test were compared to those of 30 children with velopharyngeal insufficiency due to cleft palate. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine cutoff points with the highest sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between both groups for all items in nasometric evaluation (p<0.05) except for prolonged/m/sound (p>0.05). Cutoff points were determined and certain items were selected for routine nasometric evaluation. CONCLUSION: The Arabic SNAP test is a sensitive and specific tool for evaluation of children with hypernasality and can be used for both diagnosis and follow up of these cases.

The nature of articulation errors in Egyptian Arabic-speaking children with velopharyngeal insufficiency due to cleft palate.

UNLABELLED: Even with early surgical repair, the majority of cleft palate children demonstrate articulation errors and have typical cleft palate speech. OBJECTIVE: Was to determine the nature of articulation errors of Arabic consonants in Egyptian Arabic-speaking children with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty Egyptian Arabic-speaking children with VPI due to cleft palate (whether primary repaired or secondary repaired) were studied. Auditory perceptual assessment (APA) of children speech was conducted. Nasopharyngoscopy was done to assess the velopharyngeal port (VPP) movements while the child was repeating speech tasks. Mansoura Arabic Articulation test (MAAT) was performed to analyze the consonants articulation of these children. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The most frequent type of articulatory errors observed was substitution, more specifically, backing. Pharyngealization of anterior fricatives was the most frequent substitution, especially for the /s/ sound. The most frequent substituting sounds for other sounds were /ʔ/ followed by /k/ and /n/ sounds. Significant correlations were found between the degrees of the open nasality and VPP closure and the articulation errors. On the other hand, the sounds (/ʔ/,/h/,/ʕ/,/n/,/w/,/j/) were normally articulated in all studied group. The determination of articulation errors in VPI children could guide the therapists for designing appropriate speech therapy programs for these cases.