In search of causative factors of deformational plagiocephaly.

This is a preliminary study of 37 infants with deformational plagiocephaly. In this first effort to create a profile of factors that may contribute to the onset and progress of developmental plagiocephaly, parents were interviewed concerning selected practices before and immediately after the birth of their infants. Results of the study do not reveal a clear or concise pattern of factors that may contribute to this condition.

A report of behavioral data on three groups of patients with craniofacial disorders.

Longitudinal follow-up data on development and school placement are presented for three groups of patients. Having had or not having had early surgical intervention and stimulation distinguishes the two groups of patients with craniosynostosis. The third group is patients with cleft lip and palate who received early intervention but did not achieve minimal criteria for communication by age 22 months.

Avoiding the sequela associated with deformational plagiocephaly.

Over the last decade, infants with deformities in the craniofacial skeleton have been seen at our craniofacial center, and similar observations have been noted in infants seen for evaluation and management after birth, where there are not any evident pathological findings such as craniosynostosis or another known genetic disorder. The known condition of deformational plagiocephaly has been related to a sequela of the infants being placed on their back for sleep. The change in the position of the infants to sleep on their back was altered from the traditional position, where infants were placed in the prone position for many decades in the past in the Western world.

Cleft palate: modern technology and neuroscience merge.

This is a report of a cleft palate-craniofacial team's experience with 768 patients that have had clefting over 22 years, with a primary focus on function and prevention of communication disorders associated traditionally with cleft palate. The treatment philosophy is based on tenets of child development and the dependency of neuropsychobiological development on the child's inherent competency, and early environmental stimulation and support. The applied treatments include ensuring early and adequate hearing, psychosocial adaptation of the parent and child through training for applications of indirect therapies, and early fistula-free surgical closure of the cleft that produces minimal scarring and a mobile velum.