Give HK Cleft Lip and Palate Families a Smile

Distribution of COVID Prevention Materials

Standing shoulder to shoulder with the members to fight against the epidemic, HKACLP gathers COVID prevention materials from various donors and distributes them to the families of limited means with a hope that could relieve their needs and help to keep them away from the threat of the coronavirus. 

Prenatal Feeding Training Workshop

Under the situation of COVID-19, public hospitals have implemented special infection control measures, and thus the discharge of newborn cleft lip and palate babies who have feeding problems are much delayed inevitably.  It is because after birth the babies will be kept in nursery for 3-4 weeks to make sure that the mothers know how to feed them.  During that period, the mothers are allowed to visit their babies and to learn feeding from the speech therapists/occupational therapists once a week. 

In view of this, HKACLP arranges for the pregnant mother ‘Prenatal Feeding Training Workshop’, in which our experienced parents will give pregnant mothers the guidance and practice on feeding cleft lip and palate babies.  We hope that through this Prenatal Feeding Training Workshop the pregnant mothers can get hold the feeding skills before childbirth so as to avoid prolong hospitalization of their new born affected babies.

Oral Myofunctional Therapy On-line Workshop

The oral muscles of cleft lip and palate children, such as facial muscles, lips and tongue, will develop as they grow up and get more chewing experience.  During eating, the children's jawbone, lips and tongue movements must co-ordinate in order to chew food effectively.  Moreover, as young children learn to speak, the flexibility and coordination of the oral muscles is also very important.  Oral muscle dysfunction not only affects chewing, but also severely affects the speech, resulting in mispronunciation.  In the most serious cases, some children cannot even close the mouth due to failure to control the oral muscle that may result in crowded and irregular arrangement of teeth, affecting the growth of jaw bone and the appearance.

Upper jaw of a cleft lip and palate child will grow slower than the lower jaw because surgical repair for cleft palate may hurt part of the palatal muscle and thus the development will be affected.  In addition, the scar tissue on the palate lacks elasticity that forms a pulling force that hinders the growth of the upper jawbone, resulting in underbite and dented midface.  Therefore, correct oral muscle function exercise is very important for their oral and facial development! Through multiple studies by foreign experts, it has been proved that if children with proper oral muscle exercise can help their jaw bones grow, they can improve their occlusion, chewing, speech, communications and even social interaction.

In view of this, HKACLP holds regular ‘Oral Myofunctional Therapy Workshops’  for different age groups of cleft lip and palate children.  During COVID pandemic, the workshop will be presented in the form of on-line lecture.

Links:

• HKACLP Website

Infection Prevention Measures for Resident Speech Therapy Service 

To prevent Coronavirus, our resident speech therapy had been stopped for 6 months and then re-started in the format of on-line sessions.  As local new cases came down steadily since August, HKACLP resumes resident speech therapy service for cleft lip and palate children by taking infection prevention measures such as installation of separation screen, application of masks, keeping hand hygiene & physical distancing, frequent toys and equipment cleaning so as to keep safe both the therapist and the students.

Charity Cleft Lip & Palate Treatment Project

Secondary Cleft Lip and Palate Deformities 

After primary surgical repair of cleft lip and cleft palate, a CLP patient may present as growing up with secondary deformities such as collapsed and asymmetric nostrils, insufficient and asymmetric upper lip etc. Besides, due to cleft palate, a majority of patients may have their mid face and upper jaw underdeveloped, resulting in underbite, plus the lower lip tends to evert forward which results in undesirable appearance, low self-esteem, speech problems, bite problems etc.  Therefore, Secondary Treatments are very important to CLP patients.

Charity Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Project

Since the closure of the Plastic & Reconstructive Department of Princess Margaret Hospital in the year 2006 due to budget cut of the authority concerned, HKACLP has been receiving quite a number of ‘Seeking for Help’ cases, including those patients waiting too long for treatments, patients in mid-twenties but not rendered any secondary treatment due to disconnected Primary and Secondary Treatment at certain public hospitals, adult patients who missed their treatment in due course… Among these patients, most of them came from families of fairly limited means.

In view of these, HKACLP sought help from the Evangel Hospital, a non-profit making community hospital.  Thus the ‘Charity Treatment Project for Cleft Lip and Palate Patients’ was launched in the year 2012 jointly by “Hong Kong Multidisciplinary & Holistic Centre for Cleft Lip and Palate” of Evangel Hospital and HKACLP.  The project aims to provide early treatments to the adult patients to help correct their secondary cleft problems and facial difference so that they will not miss their golden age of life.  Eligible patients may receive orthodontic treatment, orthognathic surgery, lip & nose reconstructive surgery and ENT treatment at half of the fees.

Let Love Continue - Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Fund 

The Fund is established in the same year as the Charity Treatment Project was launched.  By then, a Mrs. Yiu’s baby boy born with Pierre Robin Sequence who had his palate repaired twice at a public hospital but completely split apart, so Mrs. Yiu turned to HKACLP for help.  The baby was thus accepted for joining the Charity Treatment Project.  He had his palate repaired successfully by the surgeons of this Charity Treatment Project.  Mrs. Yiu, apart from extending her deepest gratitude to the team, donated the 50% discounted fee amounting $40,000 to HKACLP as a token of thanks on 5 November 2012.  Thus Let Love Continue - Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Fund was established to offer subsidy (up to 25% of the treatment expenses) to the patients from CSSA and grass-roots families who are eligible for joining the Charity Treatment Project.

Links:

• HKACLP Website