Resonance disorders due to cleft palate and other aetiologies are frequently assessed in conjunction with nasometry. The most commonly used instrument is the Nasometer by KayPentax. A new model Nasometer 6450 was compared to an older model 6200 using both synthetic and speech stimuli. There was a particular focus on test-retest variability of the instrument. The Nasometers were found to yield comparable results. The inter session test-retest variability ranged from six to eight points, depending on the stimulus. The Nasometer 6450 was then used to collect nasalance scores of simulated resonance disorders. A discriminant analysis was applied to these scores. The resultant formulas were moderately successful in predicting perceived resonance when applied to pre-existing data sets.

Resonance disorders due to cleft palate and other aetiologies are frequently assessed in conjunction with nasometry. The most commonly used instrument is the Nasometer by KayPentax. A new model Nasometer 6450 was compared to an older model 6200 using both synthetic and speech stimuli. There was a particular focus on test-retest variability of the instrument. The Nasometers were found to yield comparable results. The inter session test-retest variability ranged from six to eight points, depending on the stimulus. The Nasometer 6450 was then used to collect nasalance scores of simulated resonance disorders. A discriminant analysis was applied to these scores. The resultant formulas were moderately successful in predicting perceived resonance when applied to pre-existing data sets.

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Thirty-eight clinicians were surveyed regarding their current clinical practices in assessing, tracking treatment and determining discharge criteria for clients with resonance disorders. When these results were compared with recommendations from the literature for best practices, it was found that: (a) most clinicians were using low-tech assessment tools (such as perceptual assessment) at least some of the time, (b) many clinicians were not using high-tech assessment tools (such as videofluoroscopy) simply because they lacked access to such tools, and (c) clinicians are remarkably similar in their clinical practices across a wide variety of circumstances (such as age, and employment setting). The primary recommendation accruing from these findings was that more high-tech assessment tools should be routinely available to clinicians practicing in this area. More consistent use of sophisticated assessment devices would exemplify contemporary thinking about transfer of knowledge to practice in the area of resonance disorders assessment and improve patient outcomes.