Mental, motor, and social behavior of infants with cleft lip and/or cleft palate

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Craniofacial Anomalies Research

Background:

• Children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) often face developmental assessments.
• The Bayley Scales for Infant Development (BSID) is a standard tool for evaluating infant development.
• Understanding developmental trajectories in CL/P populations is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the mental, motor, and social behavior of children with CL/P.
• To compare the development of children with CL/P to normative data using the BSID.
• To investigate developmental patterns using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional and longitudinal samples of 75 and 28 children with CL/P, respectively.
• Employed the Bayley Scales for Infant Development (BSID) for assessments at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
• Compared patient data against established BSID normative samples.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in mental and motor functioning between children with CL/P and the normative sample.
• Children with oral-facial clefts exhibited more passive social behavior compared to the Bayley normative sample.
• Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses yielded similar findings regarding social behavior.

Conclusions:

• Children with CL/P demonstrate typical mental and motor development based on BSID measures.
• Social behavior in children with CL/P warrants further investigation due to observed passivity.
• Findings suggest specific areas for targeted support and future research in CL/P populations.