My 7 year old neice had a cleft pallett (not the lip, just the pallett, she had a gapping hole in the roof of her mouth). The hole in the roof of her mouth was severe, and he had to have numerous surgeries to correct it. For the first 6 mths of her life she was on a feeding tube, as she couldnt eat anything as it would just drain out.
As mentioned above Ms. Aiden is now 7, and is doing fine. You'd never guess by looking at her she had any problems (unless you stared at her teeth, she never got any they are all fake--or her grills --as she refers to them). she is a very happy/active 7 year old, and a little fashion diva. LOL.