Orofacial clefts are one of the most common birth defects, affecting about 7,000 babies born in the US every year. Cleft palate, particularly, refers to an opening along the roof of the mouth, which may have negative impact on the affected individuals’ feeding, hearing, dentition, and speech/resonance. Our long-term research goal is to improve the quality of cleft palate management.
Current Research Projects
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Using imaging, aerodynamic, and acoustic analyses, our team works to characterize the normal and disordered velopharyngeal mechanism. Information on the spectrum of clinical manifestations will advance our understanding of the underlying causes of velopharyngeal dysfunction and help identify the vital anatomic features of the velopharynx that can serve as reliable prognostic indicators of the speech outcome in individuals with a history of cleft palate.
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Our team is interested in understanding the velopharyngeal functional capacity that can be altered through behavioral intervention. Our focus is to develop an evidence-based behavioral intervention program to reduce hypernasality, which will potentially benefit patients who wish to forgo surgery or those for whom surgery is not a viable option.
- Our team is working to understand how we perceive nasality in speech differently and similarly. If you are interested in participating in our nasality perception study, click the following link: Nasality Perception Study.