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Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has several outpatient and urgent care centers throughout South Florida, including on-demand, virtual care.
Walk-in urgent care with no appointment needed.
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Pediatric specialty consultations available closer to home.
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With over 800 pediatric clinicians on staff, we’re dedicated to helping you connect with the right specialist for your needs.
We have expertise in treating children and educating families on hundreds of different conditions.
We use cutting-edge, specialized treatments and procedures to ensure the best care for your child.
Also known as: VPD.
The roof of the mouth, side walls of the throat and back wall of the throat together make up a bodily structure known as the velopharyngeal valve that is important for speech. When something goes wrong with this part of the body, it is known as velopharyngeal dysfunction.
Velopharyngeal dysfunction is related to certain birth defects such as cleft palate or 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. It can also occur after adenoid surgery or due to weak throat muscles, among other causes.
A variety of speech and breathing difficulties can accompany velopharyngeal dysfunction. These include nasal speech, difficulty enunciating certain words or sounds or pauses in breathing or speech while talking, among other symptoms.
Speech therapy, a mouth apparatus that assists with speaking and surgery are all potential treatments for velopharyngeal dysfunction.
Reviewed by: Yamilet Tirado, MD
This page was last updated on: October 03, 2019 03:17 PM