If the doorway is too small, speech may be hyponasal. This is when sound can't pass into the nose when it should. A small doorway can also cause breathing problems and snoring. Articulation problems are caused by air leaking out of the nose or by teeth that are out of line. Poor speech habits often result when a child attempts to find other ways to make difficult sounds.
Many consonant sounds are difficult to make if the sound passes through the nose.
How we speak In English, we use about 46 sounds to speak. These are the nasal sounds. To make the remaining 43 sounds, the soft palate must seal off the nose and force sound out the mouth. This is important for the vowel sounds. Children with cleft lip and palate often develop alternative ways to attempt difficult speech sounds.