As we wrap up National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, we are pleased to share another guest post! Thank you Mama D for sharing some insight on parenting a child with microtia/atresia!
Microtia/atresia seems pretty easy to manage and it does not stop our son from playing hard and doing his thing. A BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) has given him much better access to sound. He currently wears it on a soft headband. As it turns out, he really likes music, especially music with lots of drumming! The most difficult thing about the BAHA was getting it approved by insurance (that’s a whole other advocacy post!).
Our son gets speech therapy through school and through a private provider, and we work on speech activities, songs, reading, etc., to increase his exposure to language. He seems to be picking up speech fairly rapidly. The decision about whether to have reconstructive surgery is some time off so we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
By far, our son’s biggest need was a family and the safety and love that provides. It has been amazing to watch him go from a very timid, fearful and reserved boy to a happy, loving boy full of smiles and hugs (and the usual punches for his brothers).
Thank you for sharing about your journey!!
In honor of National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, we are happy to be able to offer an additional grant of $1,000 for a family who commits to adopting a child with a craniofacial diagnosis from any of our programs. Please email lindseyg@madisonadoption.org for more information, or complete a Prospective Adoptive Parent form.