July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month. Last week I wrote about the cause and frequency of cleft lip and palate, along with the cost. This week, I want to share non-medical issues associated with cleft lip and palate, because these are very important in the psychosocial life of a cleft-affected person. And their family and friends. 

 What are some non-medical issues?

• There’s an increased occurrence of a learning disability and developmental problems in children with cleft lip and palate. 

I have not found documentation of a direct cause for this but children with a cleft lip and palate have a slightly increased risk of learning disabilities and developmental problems that add to the psychosocial and medical issues that comes with clefts. 

• Auditory issues are not uncommon. 

I know I had to have tubes in my ears four times, and I hear a similar story from many others. Some even experience hearing issues.

• Speech issues are a major issue, especially with cleft palate.

Because of the way the palate is repaired, how long it takes, and then changes while kids are learning to speak and make certain sounds, speech can be an issue. I know I had a lot of speech issues. I had my voice and I had a lot to say, and I said it and most people understood. But I was in speech therapy through high school.

• And then my favorite/least favorite is dental. 

A lifelong challenge for many of us is dental issues; for example, one of my middle teeth grew in sideways. I don’t know if I need to say much more than that. A sideways tooth presents challenges because the cause of the tooth movement was a lack of bone structure in the cleft area. I’ve had multiple bone grafts in that area, not all have been successful making it that much harder to manage any dental issue and maintain a good for tooth and gum health.

All of these issues add to the overall psychosocial and financial costs of a cleft lip/palate. Many of these financial costs are out of pocket expenses and many cannot afford them. By bringing awareness to these issues, we open avenues to find solutions. 

If you would like to support Smile Train through my Transform Challenge you can do so on my Transform Challenge page. This money will help children in less developed areas have life saving surgery.