PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With children back to school, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz. urges parents, teachers, administrators and students to watch and discuss a new video designed to prevent the bullying of children with physical differences.
Produced by the Barrow Cleft and Craniofacial Center, the two-minute video features patients with craniofacial differences, including cleft lip and palate. The video’s message is simple: There is beauty and “wonder” in everyone.
From birth on, children with craniofacial disorders encounter a multitude of challenges, including special feeding during infancy, multiple surgeries and dental procedures, speech therapy, and other intensive care.
But for many of them, accepting themselves and being accepted by others remains a challenge.
“The piece that makes or breaks our patients in life is acceptance,” says Patricia Glick, DMD, a member of Barrow’s craniofacial team. “It is an important part of their lives—to connect with others and be accepted.”
The Barrow medical professionals believe that children who see and learn about craniofacial disorders are less likely to stare, ask cruel questions, taunt or reject peers with facial or skull differences, and are more likely to be accepting.
“I would like our patients to be able to feel like just another face in the crowd,” says Lori Takeuchi, Program Coordinator at Barrow.
Nearly 7,000 babies with cleft lip and palate are born in the U.S. each year. The Barrow Cleft and Craniofacial Center, supported by the Inzalaco family, is among the largest, most comprehensive craniofacial programs in the nation.
Awareness of craniofacial disorders is growing. The Children’s Craniofacial Association is sponsoring the 12th Annual Craniofacial Acceptance Month in September, and Wonder, a movie based on the best-selling novel by R.J. Palacio about a child with a severe craniofacial disorder, will debut in theaters in 2017.
Schools reading Wonder can contact Barrow at 602.406.3560 to learn more about educational anti-bullying sessions for accepting children with facial differences.
About Barrow Neurological Institute
Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix is internationally recognized as a leader in neurosurgery, neurology, neurological research and patient care. Learn more by visiting barrowneuro.org.
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about how Barrow is interacting with Wonder.
