Deformities handicap mentally disabled kids

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2005

Reconstructing severe facial deformities in children with mental disabilities can be a hard decision for parents. Insurance companies may consider some operations to be for cosmetic purposes only and refuse to cover them. However, craniofacial plastic surgery to correct abnormalities of the face, skull, and neck, may give these youngsters significant psychological, social, and emotional benefits that can help them attain a better quality of life, according to a report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill.

"Plastic surgery to correct defects of the face, skull, and neck is reconstructive and functional in nature, not merely cosmetic, as some insurance companies assert," contends surgeon Steven Buchman, author of the report. "Children with severe mental impairments undoubtedly benefit from plastic surgery and ultimately gain the functional tools that will help them lead a fuller life."

Buchman insists a person's physical appearance can positively or negatively influence his or her ability to socialize. This, in turn, can affect long-term relationships with peers and employers as well as the ability to manage daily tasks and properly function in society. Because social relationships are key predictors of quality of life, children with facial deformities greatly benefit from craniofacial plastic surgery, allowing them to appear more normal and to help gain social acceptance.

In addition, the more these youngsters are accepted by their peers, teachers, and parents, and the more interactions they have with others, the better they learn. Teachers may underestimate the intellectual abilities of kids with facial deformities and have correspondingly low expectations for their achievement. Parents also unknowingly may share these low expectations.

"Calling these surgeries cosmetic demeans the benefits these children gain," Buchman says. "By fixing their deformities, we positively change the way others interact, react, and relate with them, helping shape how well they learn, socialize, and adapt to the world around them."