YOUR NAME Your Role

1. YOUR NAME Your Role

2. What is cleft lip & palate? • A cleft is a gap left when the parts of a baby’s face don’t join together all the way. • A ‘cleft lip’ is a gap in the upper lip • A ‘cleft palate’ is a gap in the roof of the mouth

4. Why does it happen? • There’s no simple answer! • Usually, lots of small things all happeningtogether in a particular way which tips the balance. • These things include what genes your parents pass on to you and how they affect you while you develop. • There is a lot of research happening now to understand more.

5. What does this mean? • The baby will need one or more operations to close the gap in their mouth. These usually happen before a baby’s first birthday. • They might have up to 20 more operations as they grow up!

6. What does this mean? • The gap in a baby’s mouth means they often can’t feed from a regular bottle. • They need extra help and special bottles to help them feed enough to grow strong for their operations.

7. What does this mean? • Children with a cleft palate often have ‘Glue Ear’, which muffles their hearing. Their speech may also sound different. • If the cleft affects the gums, children will need extra surgery and a lot of orthodontic work to help their teeth grow properly.

8. My Story

9. Who are CLAPA?

10. How can YOU help?

11. Thank You!