[marybeth]

thanks for the response. i DONT think of a cleft palate as a special need either, but of course we all have a diffrent idea i guess. I consider a special need where there is truly a "special need" wheelchairs,mental handicap etc.
thanks

[oslipitin]

depending on the extent of the problem....sometimes mult surgeries are necessary....
simple cleft lip may be easily repaired with 1 surgery....however if there is palate involvement....(depending how complicated) multiple surgeries might be done in progressive stages....
I would speak to a pedatirician who has experience dealing with this problem...they may refer you to a pediatric plastic surgeon who can be the most informative!!!

this issue has been discussed on this forum....probably if you" key in "cleft palate you'll be able to read previous responses.....

I think it's wonderful to give a child a new lease on life!!!!

[Amysue1112]

I am a pediatric nurse and had a facial cleft (no cleft lip or palate).
However, University of Florida offers a camp for kids with cleft lip and or palate every summer (the families are also involved). It is a wonderful camp, and I work there every year. Look for support groups, they can be wonderful for families and children.
There is such a wide range and degrees of cleft lip/palate, and every child is different. It is preferred that kids have their surgeries early, as for some that are more severe, it includes many surgeries, including bone grafts to rebuild the palate. Also, most kids have to get a lot of dental work, as the cleft palate affects the teeth. There are often eating/swallowing issues with untreated cleft palates. The speech problem is usually very treatable, kids are so resilient. If you do adopt this baby, she is very lucky that a family would accept her even if she is "a little bit different". From working with the parents of cleft lip/palate kids, most say that they are especially strong, kind, outgoing, happy and very special little people.
However, do understand, that it is not easy watching your child suffer through the pains of surgery. I would do the surgeries as soon as possible though, because from what patients have told me, it gets much harder when they get older.

GOOD LUCK!!
Amy

[oslipitin]

your response to this post is deeply personal / very informative
and full of promise....prospective parents who have doubts or fears about possibly adopting such a child can realize that corrective surgery/speech therapy....work wonders!!! Most importantly give a child a new lease on life.........
Usually these "type" of children are given extra physical/emotional attention in the orphanage...they bond more readily. They are survivors...because they have endured and OVERCOME....

[annej]

If you find anything on the 3 degree pallate please let me know. I too am going to China this spring to get my daughter with the same thing. I consulted with doctors in the field and all I get is don't worry we can take care of it when she gets here.. which I know is true but Iwould still like to understand it better. I do know it is one of the more severe palatte problems.

[kiwi]

annej,
I don't know what the levels of severity indicate, but I assume it is referring to how "cleft" the pallate is. Even severely cleft pallates can have little effect on a child's behavior other than their lack of suction, normal routines can be followed for them the same as any other child... for example an infant would have to feed from a cup rather than a bottle due to the lack of suction, sinuses may be missing or open where they should be divided, some teeth can be missing and require a partial denture. If your doctors are confident that they can fix it, the hardest battle (after all your paperwork to bring your daughter home!) will be seeing her go through many surgeries throughout life. Some surgeries are very intensive and take many weeks to recover from.
Good luck!

[Adopting_in_TX]

Hi,

My name is Alison and I have been a member for awhile but didn't know we had a section on kids who are cleft affected. I am thrilled! I haven't had a chance to read all the posts but I will. I need to catch up, LOL!

Our son Michael was adopted May 2004 and was born with a complete UCLP. He had his lip/nose/gum revision in November 2004 and palate repair May 2005. We are in NY and used the cleft palate team at NYU and he used the NAM device. He is 16 months now and looks amazing.

Hope to talk to lots of you soon!

Alison