How to Identify Hypernasality

Hypernasality is a speech disorder that occurs when the pharynx tissues and palate do not close properly. This incomplete closure causes air to escape through the nose during speech. The condition is called velopharyngeal incompetence, or VPI. Read on to learn how to identify Hypernasality.

Things You'll Need

• nasal olives
• surgical tubing
• mirror

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Instructions

• 1

  Listen to your child's speech when he uses vowel sounds and the letters "b," "k" and "s." Hypernasality is the sound of speech that results from too much air escaping through the nose.

• 2

  Evaluate your child's history. Conditions that can cause hypernasal speech include cleft palate, a palate that is too short, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. Adenoidectomy surgery also can cause hypernasality.

• 3

  Attach a nasal olive to both ends of surgical tubing to create a nasal listening tube. Block the nostrils and have the child recite non-nasal words and phrases, such as "I saw sister Susie at church," and "This horse eats thistles." If nasal pressure is felt, it can be assumed that the child's speech includes hypernasality.

• 4

  Hold a small mirror under the child's nostrils. While he is speaking non-nasal words, look for clouding on the mirror as air moves through his nose.

• 5

  Instruct the child to repeat the phrase "maybe, baby" rapidly. If the child has hypernasality, both words will sound like "maybe."

• 6

  Have your child evaluated by a speech pathologist. This healthcare professional can look for abnormalities in the mouth, and use special instruments to listen to the amount of air that passes through the nose.

• 7

  Consult with an Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist. An ENT physician can use an endoscope to examine the nose and throat to diagnose the cause of velopharyngeal incompetence and develop a treatment plan.