Academic Outcomes of Children with Isolated Orofacial Clefts Compared with Children without a Major Birth Defect

Abstract

Objective To compare academic outcomes between children with orofacial cleft (OFC) and children without major birth defects. Design and Setting In 2007–2008, we mailed questionnaires to a random sample of mothers of school-aged children with OFC and mothers of children without major birth defects (comparison group). The questionnaire included Likert-scale, closed-ended, and open-ended questions from validated instruments. We conducted bivariate and multivariable analyses on parent-reported educational outcomes and bivariate analyses on parent-reported presence of related medical conditions between children with isolated OFC and unaffected children. Patients/Participants A random sample of 504 parents of children with OFCs born 1996–2002 (age 5–12 years) were identified by the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program. A random sample of 504 parents of children without birth defects born 1996–2002 was selected from North Carolina birth certificates. Of the 289 (28.7%) respondents, we analyzed 112 children with isolated OFC and 138 unaffected children. Main Outcome Measures Letter grades, school days missed, and grade retention. Results Parents of children with isolated OFC reported more developmental disabilities and hearing and speech problems among their children than comparison parents. Children with isolated OFC were more likely to receive lower grades and miss more school days than unaffected children. Because of the low response rate, results should be interpreted cautiously. Conclusion Children with isolated OFC may have poorer academic outcomes during elementary school than their unaffected peers. Future studies are needed to confirm these results and determine whether these differences persist in later grades.

Psychological adjustment to cleft lip and/or palate: A narrative review of the literature

“…Two studies reported individuals with CL/P to have lower educational achievement than their peers without CL/P (Wehby, Collett et al, 2014;Knight et al, 2015) and elevated rates of academic difficulties (Snyder & Pope, 2010), particularly in the case of CPO (Persson, Becker & Svensson, 2012). In contrast, three studies found no significant differences in educational achievement between those with and without CL/P (Cheung, Loh & Ho, 2007;van der Plas et al, 2013;Collett et al, 2014).…”

“…Chetpakdeechit and colleagues (2010) also reported a number of affected organ systems. One study reported that children with CL/P were significantly more likely to have a developmental delay than the control group (Knight et al, 2015). Developmental difficulties seemed to be more prevalent among types of cleft involving the palate (Chetpakdeechit et al, 2010;Burnell et al, 2014;Feragen et al, 2014).…”

“…Individuals with CL/P were deemed to be in poorer general health in relation to comparison groups in two studies (Damiano et al, 2006;Knight, Cassell, Meyer & Strauss, 2015).…”

Speech and language characteristics in individuals with nonsyndromic submucous cleft palate—A systematic review

“…This review identifies the sparsity of literature outlining motor speech, phonological and language abilities of individuals with nonsyndromic SMCP. Considering the emerging evidence suggesting language difficulties amongst the broader cleft lip and palate phenotype, investigations amongst the SMCP population appear timely and beneficial (Gallagher et al, ; Hardin‐Jones & Chapman, ; Klintö, Salameh, & Lohmander, ; Knight, Cassell, Meyer, & Strauss, ; Wehby et al, ; Young et al, ).…”

Use of Psychotropic Medications and Visits to Psychiatrists and Psychologists among Individuals with Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts: A Population‐Based Cohort Study

“…Studies have reported increased dissatisfaction with speech and appearance and increased rates of peers' teasing among individuals with nonsyndromic OC (Marcusson et al, ; Hunt et al, ; Hunt et al, ). Some studies have also reported that children with nonsyndromic OC have lower academic performance on average (Persson et al, ; Wehby et al, ; Knight et al, ; Wehby et al, ), although such deficits have only been observed for children with CP in Denmark (Clausen et al, ). Because physical appearance, communication skills, and academic achievement play a major role in the social life and interaction with others, individuals with OC might be at risk of developing social problems, which might result in mental health problems.…”