When people speak, their soft palate—which is the soft tissue in the back of the roof of the mouth—closes against the back of the throat to seal the nose off from the mouth. When a child’s soft palate is unable to do this, it can cause resonance and speech sound disorders.

An X-ray speech study uses dynamic digital video X-rays to assess a child’s ability to attain this closure, which is called velopharyngeal closure.

X-ray speech studies are recommended when children have symptoms including:

• Compensatory speech sound productions
• Hypernasal speech (increased nasal sound in the child’s voice)
• Nasal emission/turbulence (air escaping through the nose during speech production)
• Weak consonants or sound omissions due to inadequate oral air pressure

An X-ray speech study includes two parts. First, a speech-language pathologist will assess your child’s sound production, oral motor skills and resonance.

The speech-language pathologist will then work with a radiologist to determine the size and location of the velopharyngeal opening by recording a video X-ray while your child repeats words and phrases. In order to view the velopharyngeal opening, a small amount of liquid barium is squirted into each nostril to provide contrast on the video.

Determining the opening’s size and location is critical in creating a treatment plan that will meet your child’s individual needs. We will review your child’s results with you immediately after the assessment.

Contact us

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us at 727-767-4141.

You can also request an appointment online using our online form.

Medical records may be faxed to 727-767-6743. A physician's prescription is required for an X-ray speech study.