Social and psychological problems associated with cleft palate.

There are no compelling studies to support the assumption that people with clefts are seriously disturbed or differ in major ways from their noncleft peers. There is evidence to support that both parents and children pay some high prices for the adjustments and accommodations they ultimately make and that clinicians might smooth the way somewhat by becoming more actively aware of the problems that remain to be addressed in treatment programs to the end that the cleft will become a matter of historical significance rather than of current relevance in the life of the adult.