Is Mateo Growing Well?
Take the reading one piece at a time. For each piece: read it once, underline the sentence that says what happens, then look up any word in the list. Tap a word to see its definition.
Piece 1 of 2
Recall from earlier in Mateo's story: to feed well, a baby builds suction by sealing the lips and pressing the tongue against an intact roof of the mouth. Mateo's cleft lip weakens the lip seal, and his open palate means he cannot build the suction pressure needed to draw milk. So before his repairs he can tire out during feeds, swallow air, and take in fewer calories than he needs; if that is not managed, a baby can fall behind on weight, called failure to thrive. The good news from the literature: most cleft infants feed successfully once the team provides specialized cleft bottles and nipples and proper positioning.
Piece 2 of 2
The pediatrician tracks two things over time. A growth chart plots weight, length, and head size against age as percentiles, showing whether Mateo is gaining steadily and staying on his own curve or falling off it. Developmental milestones (smiling, sitting, babbling, first words, walking) show whether his motor, social, and early-language skills arrive roughly on time. Two cleft-specific watch points feed in: hearing and speech progress, because ear fluid or VPI can slow language, and midface growth over the years, because upper-jaw growth can lag after palate repair and is followed long term.
Reading the Research
- Skim the title and abstract first to get the gist.
- Circle the one sentence that states the main claim.
- Box the evidence the authors give for that claim.
- Mark one sentence that confuses you, and move on.
Now put it together: In one or two sentences, say what this whole reading is telling you about Mateo. Then go back to the lesson and fill in the guided notes.