Speech-Language
Pathology
Resonance
Disorders
The two
most common types of resonance disorders are:
- Hypernasal - occurs when
too much air is coming out the nasal passage when speaking. The
child’s voice has a ‘nasal twang’
- Hyponasal – occurs
when not enough air is coming out of the nasal passage when speaking.
The child sounds like he/she has a cold.
There is
typically a physical reason for a hypernasal or hyponasal resonance
problem. Hypernasality often results from an inability to completely
seal off the nasal cavity from the mouth. This is typically found in
children born with cleft-lip and palate, but can occur for other reasons.
Hyponasality often results from a blockage between the mouth and the nasal
cavity. The most common blockage is enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Once
again, there may be additional reasons for hyponasality.
Less
commonly, a child may have a hyponasal or hypernasal resonance imbalance
that is not structurally related. In these cases, the child has
“taught” him/herself to speak in this manner for no apparent physical
reason.
If your child has a
hyponasal or hypernasal quality to their voice you may wish to contact
your family physician. It is important to determine if there is a physical
or structural reason for the resonance imbalance before pursuing
intervention from a speech-language pathologist. A referral to an Ear-Nose
and Throat specialist may be made.
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