Parental Perspectives and Concerns

Abstract

A child with a cleft palate should be considered first and foremost a child. As a child he lives in a world filled with parents and siblings, friends and classmates, and even professionals. T h e interaction of the child with these significant others in his life cannot help but have a profound effect on the child's physical and psychological growth. Parents of "normal" children face new challenges at every stage of their child's development. The parents of a child with an abnormality can be expected to face unusual difficulties, and they will have a more urgent need for support and guidance from the professionals involved in their child's treatment. Therefore, it seems appropriate to take a closer look at the parents of the child with a cleft in order to gain a better understanding of their attitudes and concerns. This article is based on an extensive, though far from exhaustive, review of the literature on parents of children with clefts (Bleiberg and Leubling, 1970, 1971; McClung, 1980; Pannbacker, Lass, and Starr, 1979). In addition three parents of cleft palate and/or lip children were interviewed—two mothers and a father. One of the mothers had been born with a cleft palate. In conducting the interview with her, we were concerned both with her reactions as the mother of a cleft palate child, and with her memories of growing up with a cleft. A fourth interview was conducted with a 40-year-old male who had been born with a unilateral cleft of the PARENTAL PERSPECTIVES AND CONCERNS