Don't let the world change your smile, let your smile change the world.
It was a pleasure to feature on Episode 99 of Appearance Matters: The Podcast! to share our experiences and our findings from the 2024 Aotearoa Cleft Camp, a partnership between Cleft NZ and University of Canterbury. In the podcast, we talk about how we ran the camp, what data we collected to know that the... Continue Reading →
This research study, conducted as part of my PhD programme of studies, and supervised by Dr Phoebe Macrae, Dr Nicola Stock, and Tika Ormond involved running a nationwide 3-day, 2-night youth camp for people aged 10-18, held in Auckland in April 2024. The camp was designed and delivered in partnership with Cleft New Zealand, and contained many exciting events including laser tag, kayaking, rock climbing and bubble football (soccer), team-building activities such as raft-building and flying foxes, as well as a motivational talk and Q&A, and much, much more!
This research study, conducted as part of my PhD programme of studies, and supervised by Dr Phoebe Macrae, Tika Ormond and Dr Nicola Stock, piloted introducing a cleft-specific speech language therapy service for adolescents and adults (those aged 12+) in the University of Canterbury Speech and Hearing clinic. In addition to offering speech language therapy,... Continue Reading →
This research study, conducted as part of BSLP student Maia Entwistle's Honours dissertation, and supervised by myself and Dr Phoebe Macrae, investigated cleft team clinicians' experiences of the cleft journey when patients become an 'adult' in the eyes of the health service at the age of 16. This article focusses on what remains consistent across the lifespan, as well as what changes and challenges present once someone reaches adulthood.
On the weekend of 2-3 November 2024, Smile Train hosted their annual virtual Cleft Con event for individuals and families affected by cleft from around the world. It was a privilege to be invited to be this year's keynote speaker. I shared some insights from my own personal journey, and also wanted to send the message to the cleft community that you're not alone.
Following on from our previous article on lived experience representation at conferences, Dr Amanda Bates, Danielle McWilliams and I continue to advocate for representation of people with lived experience in all areas throughout our field. Our new article focuses on offering practical guidance on how to involve people with lived experience (experts-by-experience) throughout the research cycle.
I have recently returned to Aotearoa after six informative, insightful weeks throughout the UK and Europe sharing knowledge and findings from our UC Cleft Research Centre with esteemed colleagues and counterparts from across the world. The Fellowship opportunity provided for many excellent experiences to collaborate with different groups, all of whom have a shared interest in making the world a better place for people born with cleft/craniofacial conditions or other visible difference conditions.
At the beginning of the year, I was invited by the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) to review Amy Mendillo's new resource for parents of a child with a cleft, I've Just Seen a Face. It has been a pleasure to review this excellent resource, and I certainly will be recommended this book for new families as well as clinicians who work with people with cleft. As I was reading the book, I couldn't help but notice some areas where we as health professionals working with cleft could adapt our practice to ensure that we maximise the possibility of people feeling well-adjusted throughout their cleft journey.
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending my first ACPA (American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association) conference (annual meeting), held in Denver, Colorado. It was a privilege to be invited to speak on a lived experience panel, following on from the paper "A Keynote Address" published in late 2023. The panel consisted of colleagues from the US, Canada, UK, Europe (and me from NZ), all of whom are doing important work with the cleft/visible difference community, while also living with cleft/visible difference themselves. Thanks to the ACPA, the recording of the panel is now freely available online for all to watch and share.
We've got a fantastic team supporting the 2024 Cleft Camp - find out more about the Camp Leadership team by checking out their bios below! Find out more about the camp here. Kenny Ardouin - Camp Manager Kia ora, my name is Kenny and I am very excited to be leading the team at camp!... Continue Reading →
Following on from our panel discussion at Edinburgh 2022, Danielle McWilliams, Dr Amanda Bates, and myself have been working away behind the scenes, putting together an article for the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal about making the most of lived experience representation at conferences and ensuring that people with lived experience are well supported throughout. We... Continue Reading →
View on demand as Kenny is interviewed by Neil Waka on the Te Ao Tapatahi news programme about his experiences growing up with cleft lip and palate, and the University of Canterbury's Cleft Research projects. The interview starts at 03:00 into the news bulletin. Click here to watch video on Mฤori TV Original source: https://www.maoriplus.co.nz/playback/item/6340703686112
Kenny Ardouin 