What is typically used for affricates in a child with a cleft palate?

In the context of speech therapy for children with a cleft palate, nasal substitutions are often utilized for affricates due to the anatomical and physiological challenges these children face when producing speech sounds. Affricates, such as "ch" and "j," require precise tongue placement and airflow control, which can be adversely affected by the presence of a cleft palate.

Children with cleft palates may struggle to build the necessary pressure for the production of these sounds, often leading them to substitute sounds that are easier to articulate. Nasal substitutions occur when the airflow is redirected through the nose, resulting in sounds that are produced with nasal resonance, which can provide them with a viable alternative when attempting to say affricates.

While labial adjustments, palatal sounds, and glottal stops may also be relevant in the context of speech production in children with cleft palate, they do not specifically address the need for alternatives to affricates as effectively as nasal substitutions do. The use of nasal sounds can help create more intelligible speech in children with this condition, making it a crucial strategy in their speech therapy.