Academic outcomes of children with orofacial clefts: A review of the literature and recommendations for future research

Abstract

This paper summarizes the main findings of population‐based studies of the academic outcomes of children with isolated orofacial clefts compared to peers, general samples, or siblings, published over the past decade. Most of the reviewed papers report that children with orofacial clefts, particularly children with cleft palate only or in some studies children with cleft lip and palate, may have on average lower achievement on certain outcomes like test scores when comparing to non‐siblings. However, there are important differences across studies including designs, populations, outcome measures, and findings. The paper also offers recommendations for future research priorities including controlling for confounding, examining mechanisms and potential heterogeneity across family sociodemographic and contextual factors, and understanding outcomes in less developed settings.

Early educational attainment in children with major congenital anomaly in the UK

“…We observed clinically relevant increased odds (1.9–3.2) of underperformance at KS1, but statistical significance was lacking except in Science (95% CI 1.42 to 7.10). This may be due to limited statistical power and possible dilution by children with cleft lip only, who exhibit less consistent educational underperformance compared with those with cleft palate 35…”

Auckland Regional Cleft Palate Service: service accessibility and speech outcomes

“…[16][17] Parent-reported measures are common and are considered valid measures of facial appearance, psychosocial function and speech. 18 There are other functional measures that are important to consider such as hearing status, success in both social and educational contexts 19 and psychosocial wellbeing of the whole whānau. 7 One of the key outcome measures for tamariki with orofacial cleft is speech.…”

Orofacial clefts: A compendium on non‐syndromic cleft lip–cleft palate

“…The orofacial cleft triggers many functional and psychosocial problems in the affected children, and in many situations, these problems are not alleviated as the affected children grow up. The impact on academic achievement outcomes of children with orofacial clefts is reviewed by Constantin & Wehby, 2022. Although the literature shows that some academic outcomes are poorer in children with orofacial clefts, the authors highlight the low certainty in evidence as there are important differences across studies including the study designs, populations, and outcome measures. In this scenario, the authors shed light on gaps in the literature that future studies should be aware of.…”