Update on Velopharyngeal Closure in Young Children

During early speech development, the velopharyngeal mechanism may play a major role in the rapid expansion of a childu0027s repertoire of speech sounds. Results of a longitudinal study suggest that, during spontaneous speech, velopharyngeal closure is largely complete by the age of 19 months. There is evidence, however, of differences in the consistency of velopharyngeal closure between sound categories. This finding has implications for early speech assessment and intervention decisions in clinical populations.