Facial reconstruction in Down syndrome: perceptions of the results by parents and normal adolescents.

Abstract

Randomized videotaped samples of conversational speech recorded preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively in 15 patients with Down syndrome who had undergone facial reconstruction were studied. The videotapes were rated by 34 normal adolescent students for appearance, friendliness, intelligence, and speech. In addition, the opinions of the patients' parents regarding their child's appearance and speech were surveyed. Results indicated that, although most parents reported improvements in their child's speech and appearance, independent raters could not readily discern improvement in any of the four areas studied. The use of videotape recordings to assess improvements in these traits after surgery in children with Down syndrome has not been previously reported.