Genetic testing can be considered a modern science since studies in the field of heredity and predisposition to certain diseases have been conducted relatively recently. However, this area of medicine is quite popular among couples who plan a child. According to Steinberg, for this purpose, special experts are involved – genetic counselors who “function as diagnosticians, educators, and therapists” (74). In general, this technique of assessing a predisposition to particular inherited traits is a valuable and important approach. The method of genetic counseling is particularly relevant in neonatal medical practice.
This diagnostics is an opportunity to determine a newborn’s tendency to inherit certain diseases and to analyze the possible course of early development. Therefore, the significance of this technique is significant, and its undeniable advantages make it an important branch of medicine.
However, such tests do not provide the guarantee of an accurate analysis result. Steinberg cites the concepts of false negatives and false positives, and in both cases, the outcomes of preliminary testing do not coincide with the final ones (75). For example, in a couple where one spouse suffers from a hereditary disease, such as myopia, a child with perfect vision may be born. Nevertheless, based on the tests performed, the initial analysis may indicate that the fetus has the same syndrome.
As another example, it is possible to mention a dangerous Down syndrome that, as a rule, is “caused by mutations or accidents during meiosis” (Steinberg 76). If a medical professional misses essential information during the testing process, both healthy parents may have a baby with a pronounced abnormality. Such errors make one think about the feasibility of relying on such testing comprehensively; therefore, the qualification of genetic counselors should be high to avoid the wrong diagnosis.
Work Cited
Steinberg, Laurence, et al. Development: Infancy Through Adolescence. Cengage Learning, 2010.