Down’s Syndrome children are surely difficult, but I’ve seen many families learn great joy from them.
With today’s advances in cosmetic surgery, cleft palates are a non-issue and even the most accomplished plastic surgeons will almost always do the surgery at no cost for families that can’t afford it.
Maybe I don't have all the information that I need to intelligently respond (but when has that stopped the OldPossum?), but I have an 18-year-old nephew who was born with a severe cleft palate problem and a jaw deformity. So far the poor kid has undergone some 17 surgeries as the doctors adjust for the growth of his jaw. It seems to me that they also make adjustments for his palate problem as well.
So, what I am saying is that this is not a simple problem, cured with one operation if my nephew is typical. Would appreciate it if a medical professional would jump in here and comment.