Psychosocial Outcomes in Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate: Associations of Demographic, Cleft Morphologic, and Treatment-Related Variables.

Objective: To determine associations of demographic, morphologic, and treatment protocol parameters with quality of life (QoL), appearance/speech satisfaction, and psychological adjustment.

Design: Observational study utilizing retrospective report of protocol variables and current outcome variables.

Setting: Six North American cleft treatment clinics.

Screening for Academic Risk Among Students With Cleft Lip and/or Palate: Patterns of Risk and Qualities of Effective Tools.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of academic screening measures in relation to parent-reported diagnoses. Multicenter, retrospective cohort study including structured interviews, questionnaires, and chart reviews. Six North American cleft centers.

A Multisite Study Investigating Child and Parent Proxy Reported Quality of Life in Children With Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

This observational, multisite cohort study explored health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), including interrater agreement and ratings for this group relative to clinical cutoff scores and published means for healthy and chronically ill children. Participants (338 children ages 8-10 years, 45.9% male and their parents, 82.

Retrospective Evaluation of Number of Surgeries and Parent Ratings of Academic and Behavioral Functioning Among Children With Isolated Oral Clefts.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible relationships between number of surgeries and parent ratings of academic functioning among children with isolated oral clefts.

Design: Multicenter, retrospective cohort study including structured interviews, questionnaires, and chart reviews.

Setting: Completion of questionnaires occurred during clinical visits at 6 different cleft centers across North America.

The Americleft Psychosocial Outcomes Project: A Multicenter Approach to Advancing Psychosocial Outcomes for Youth With Cleft Lip and Palate.

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are among the most common of all birth defects. Habilitation requires multiple surgeries and other therapies throughout childhood and adolescence. While multidisciplinary care is recommended, there is a great deal of variation in treatment protocols for this condition.

Dental Impacts on Health-related Quality of Life of Children with Orofacial Clefts.

Purpose: Children with orofacial clefts experience risks for psychosocial and behavioral problems, making it important to evaluate for negative impacts on health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and surgical history to determine if these measures correlated with caries and/or behavior during dental treatment.

Methods: Data for this retrospective study were obtained for children encountered between March 2011 and August 2013.

Bullying in medically fragile youth: a review of risks, protective factors, and recommendations for medical providers.

Bullying is a common child and adolescent phenomenon that has concurrent and long-term implications for victims' psychological, psychosomatic, social, and academic functioning. Youth with chronic illnesses are at increased risk for being bullied, but few studies have evaluated specific risk and protective factors for medically fragile youth. Despite recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Medicine that pediatric health care providers should contribute to bullying prevention and intervention efforts, researchers also have yet to identify the best ways for providers to intervene with medically fragile youth.