Cleft Palate Refers to a

Cleft palate refers to a specific form of congenital defects which occurs during the pregnancy, as a result of genetics and environmental factors (cleftline.org). Whether or not a cleft palate will be inheireted is a result of a range of factors, such as "the number of affected persons in the family, the closeness of affected relatives, the race and sex of all affected persons, and the severity of the clefts" (cleftline.org).

More recent research has determined that smoking and diabetes are two factors which can have an impact on the formation of cleft palate."The roof of the mouth is called the "palate." It is formed between the sixth and ninth weeks of pregnancy. A cleft palate happens if the tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not join correctly. Among some babies, both the front and back parts of the palate are open. Among other babies, only part of the palate is open" (cdc.gov).

Treatment for this condition is truly multifaceted and involves a range of tactics from surgery to dental and orthodontic care to speech therapy quite often (cleftline.org). Thus, when it comes to the proper treatment of this condition, there needs to be a strong component of interdisciplinary cooperation. Related issues: Physical Eating challenges are significant for children with this condition. For instance, "With a separation or opening in the palate, food and liquids can pass from the mouth back through the nose.

Fortunately, specially designed baby bottles and nipples that help keep fluids flowing downward toward the stomach are available" (medicinenet, 2011). Very young children/babies may have to subsist with a manmade palate which is inserted, until they are able to receive surgery.

Ear infections and forms of hearing loss are indeed other areas of concern: children with this condition exist with a greater risk of ear infections since there's a higher likelihood of fluid building up in the middle ear; if this condition is not treated properly, it can cause substantial hearing loss (medicinenet, 2011). Thus, the use of particular tools like tubes to assist in the draining of fluid from the ears is important, as is the necessity of getting the child's hearing checked annually (medicinenet, 2011).

Speech problems are another issue which can occur with children who have cleft lip or cleft palate; for instance the speech might be difficult to comprehend, or the voice might be extremely nasally (medicinenet, 2011). Regardless, surgery or working with a speech pathologist can have an extremely successful impact in helping the child recover and refine speech patterns and voice (medicinenet, 2011). As alluded to earlier, dental problems represent a formidable issue in children with cleft palate.

For instance, youths with these conditions generally are vulnerable to cavities and quite often have missing, extra, malformed, or displaced teeth which demand intensive dental treatment or the help of an orthodontist (medicinenet, 2011). It's also common for children with this condition to have an "…alveolar ridge defect. The alveolus is the bony upper gum that contains teeth. A defect in the alveolus can (1) displace, tip, or rotate permanent teeth, (2) prevent permanent teeth from appearing, and (3) prevent the alveolar ridge from forming.

These problems can usually be repaired through oral surgery" (medicinenet, 2011). Thus, after taking stock of all these conditions, one sees that while they do pose a potentially serious hazard to children, there are a wealth of treatments available and that surgery is an extremely viable option. Related Issues: Psychological One of the major issues which afflict children with cleft palate, can often be the intense psychological consequences which go along with having this condition. Children with cleft palate don't have the advantage that more attractive children have.

"Research has shown that attractive children are seen by others as brighter, having more positive social behavior and receive more positive treatment than their less attractive counterparts. Self-perception plays a pivotal role in influencing an individual's self-esteem and psychological adjustment affected by cleft lip and palate anomaly. Additionally, parental influence also shapes ones psychosocial perception" (De Sousa, 2009). These research findings thus imply that children with cleft palate are viewed as less attractive, less bright, and engaging in less positive social behavior.

This means that engaging in collective society, interacting with peers and with adults is simply harder for children with cleft palate. This research implies that these children are at a decisive disadvantage when it comes to engaging with others in society. These children are no doubt aware that they are viewed in such an inferior manner and it can only impact their self-esteem, self-worth and have an indelible mark on their self-percetion.

"The attitudes, expectations and degree of support shown by parents can influence a child's perception of their cleft impairment. Parents of children with clefts may be more tolerant of misbehavior in their child and are more likely to spoil their child by being overprotective" (De Sousa, 2009). This research finding implies that children receive special treatment or additional compensation from parents as there is either a sense of guilt or a sense of need at work.

Children with a cleft palate often receive the same special treatment from parents that handicapped or autistic children receive; parents are protectors and often there to spoil their children, seldom saying no to a request. This does not do the child any favors and can too easily contribute to poor character and a demanding sensibility, such as a proclivity towards being spoiled. Children with cleft palate often have less satisfying peer interactions; as these interactions generally reinforce negative psychosocial dynamics (De Sousa, 2009).

Peer interactions are overwhelmingly negative, helping to buttress feelings of poor self-image and low self-esteem. A high incidence of teasing over facial appearance is reported among those with cleft lip and palate. A self report research study on determining the psychosocial functioning related to cleft lip and palate, showed participants with cleft lip and palate reported greater behavioral problems; were teased often and less happy with their facial appearances" (De Sousa, 2009).

This is indeed an aggravated problem; children experience bullying nearly at all points in time growing up, though children with cleft palate are more vulnerable targets, given the fact that they can have mild facial deformities and have different.