Chapter 24: Reminders to Parents of the Child with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

1. You can and should seek advice as soon after the birth of the child as possible.
2. There is a specialist service to which you may be referred by your obstetrician.
3. Once surgical repair of lip and palate is completed, help will usually be needed from a speech pathologist and orthodontist, in addition to checks by the ear, nose and throat surgeon.
4. The child with a cleft lip and palate should be treated as much as possible like other children. All children need love and attention--be careful that the other children in the family are not neglected.
5. Special attention must be given to the right kinds of food and oral hygiene, to protect the teeth and keep them healthy.
6. The ears, nose and throat should be checked regularly.
7. The cause of your child's cleft and the risk of a recurrence in further children can be discussed with the genetic counsellor in the clinic.

Further Information

To obtain further information on "Cleft Lip and Palate: A Parent's Guide", please contact Belinda Liston:

Jill Barbuto
Cleft Palate Clinic Coordinator
The Cleft Palate Clinic
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Locked Bag 4001
WESTMEAD NSW 2145
AUSTRALIA
T: + 61 2 9845 2079
F: + 61 2 9845 2078
E: Jill.barbuto@health.nsw.gov.au