Q & A
Posted on March 14th, 2007
How will my child cope with teasing?
Children are very curious people. They ask direct questions, and if given reasonable answers think nothing more about it. If you give your child a reasonable explanation about the condition, one that they can tell their friends, then teasing and name calling can be reduced.
Do not deprive your child from social interaction, and indeed you should encourage mixing with other children from an early age so that your child can learn to handle different situations, and so that other children too may readily accept your child as they would any other.
How will my other children react to the new cleft baby?
Because a cleft lip is such an obvious physical condition, your other children may at first be scared and apprehensive. They may also become jealous of the amount of time and attention you are giving to the new arrival. For that reason, you need to reassure them and make certain you give them ample time and affection.
They will naturally be curious, and you ought to answer their questions and make sure that they too learn along with you about the condition. Young children often accept news more readily than adults and their acceptance and understanding may surprise you. Let them help and praise them for their efforts. Older children can help in more practical ways and take some of the pressure off you, even by way of the small things which need doing.
Will my child’s speech be affected?
Children with cleft lip only rarely have speech problems associated with the cleft. A cleft palate, on the other hand, can affect speech and language development. The problems are generally with articulation or the presence of nasal tones. Speech and language therapy may be required, and regular recalls to monitor the child’s speech are essential.
The child should first be seen by a speech and language therapist at six months and be reviewed regularly. The importance of parents helping with speech and language development cannot be over emphasized.
Will my child’s hearing be affected?
When a child has a cleft lip only, hearing problems do not arise. However, when there is a cleft in the palate, there can be a hearing impairment. This does not always happen, but your child’s hearing should be checked at approximately 12 months of age.
Poor hearing can adversely affect your child’s speech. Treatment of hearing problems involves day case surgery, usually resulting in the insertion of grommets which help to drain fluid and allow air into the middle ear, resulting in the hearing being brought back up to normal. Grommets usually extrude themselves. The associated hearing difficulties should disappear after the first few years.
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