Feelings and Attitudes for Cleft Education

Children with cleft lip and/or palate experience psychosocial challenges such as teasing, bullying, low self-esteem, social rejection, and unsolicited attention. Furthermore, typically developing peers make negative judgments toward children with cleft lip and palate. There is a need for a school-based program for children with cleft lip and palate to promote positive attitudes and decrease barriers that children with unintelligible speech face in their daily routines. There is a deficiency of awareness, acceptance, and resources for children with craniofacial disorders in educational settings. An evidence-based educational and psychosocial intervention program for children with cleft lip and palate has been created, called Feelings and Attitudes for Cleft Education (FACE). The purpose of the FACE program is to increase positive and meaningful interactions between children with cleft lip and palate and their peers and teachers, as well as improving their own self-perception and self-esteem. The FACE program consists of a curriculum letter for teachers and staff, a teacher in-service presentation, a multimedia classroom presentation (i.e., video and coloring activity), a take-home program for children with cleft lip and palate, and quality of life questionnaires designated for the child with cleft lip and palate, his/her parent(s)/caregiver(s), and his/her teacher. This program promotes awareness and acceptance of children with craniofacial disorders and encourages children and adults to refrain from making assumptions about this population. The FACE program has been piloted within elementary schools in Capistrano Unified School District as well as to graduate students in the California State University San Marcos M.A. Special Education Program. Each professional completed an open-ended survey following the FACE implementation. The results included quantitative data, qualitative comments, and constructive feedback that will contribute to the revisions and future directions of the program.