MODEL RELEASED. Ectodermal dysplasia. Mother and child with Ectrodactyly, Ectodermal dysplasia and Clefting (EEC) syndrome. Ectodermal dysplasia is a term for developmental abnormalities of the ectoderm (the layer of cells that gives rise to the epidermis (skin) and nervous system). More specifically, ectrodactly refers to the absence of all or part of one or more fingers or toes, and clefting refers to cleft lip or cleft palate, which is often observed in people with EEC syndrome. Although EEC is an inherited developmental disorder (gene P63), there can be considerable variation in the level of expression between affected members of the same family.