Task4+-+Powerpoint+presentation

Genetic Counseling Project Step Four: Powerpoint

Background: Genetic Counseling – Is Ignorance Bliss? You are members of a panel of genetic counselors working for MyGene.come. MyGene.com is a research institute that studies the social and medical outcomes of providing genetic information to patients and their families. In the past your company have advised families that were considered to be at risk of carrying certain genetic disorders. In most cases you conducted pre-natal testing, that is - genetic testing of infants (by [|amniocentesis] ) and their parents ( [|Carrier Screening] ) before birth. Occasionally couples asked your company for advise as they were planning their future family, even before they decided to get married. Overall, you learned that some families benefited from knowing their possible risks. Other families, however, have concluded after the fact that they had rather not known what their risks are, for various reasons. Those that benefited were able to prepare for developmental problems that their newborn would have. In some cases where the diagnosed disorder was very severe, the parents decided to discontinue the pregnancy. In many cases, the newborn was found not to have the suspected disorder, parents' anxiety over the issue would be replaced with excitement over the upcoming new baby. On the down side, the diagnosis of a disorder would lead parents to the painful decision if to keep the pregnancy. In cases where the disorder was not severe, or was treatable, parents felt that they would have rather not known about it ahead of time. People that were found to be carriers of certain disorders felt that this knowledge placed them in a vulnerable position when looking for a partner. In extreme cases, the diagnosis lead couples to separate. Other dilemmas are raised when considering genetic counseling to adults. Some conditions, such as cancer, Alzheimer and Huntington, show symptoms only at adults hood. What would the impact of knowing about the upcoming illness on the patient’s relationship, work and family? Other considerations are the cost of the genetic tests, which can sometimes be very high. And compare to that - the cost for the public of supporting families of children with severe genetic disorders. With these complexities in mind, MyGene was hired by the government to write a manual for genetic counselors and medical practices as a whole. This manual would direct genetic service providers to perform or to not perform genetic testing. Before you discuss your options, it would be necessary to become educated about a variety of genetic disorders which would vary in severity, inheritance patterns, and impact on the families and their communities. __Objective__: Your presentation has two main objectives: A. To enrich your audience’s knowledge about genetic disorders. B. To provide an example for the discussion about genetic counseling. __Not a purpose__: Your purpose does not include telling us //everything// that you learned about the disorder, since this will consume too much time, and not every detail is necessary for the discussion. __Length of presentation__: No more than 10 minutes, About 9 slides (see format power point).



__Content__: Considering the objective of the discussion, you must choose wisely what to say in just a short time. Advice: Start at the end – based on what you have learned, what are the pros and cons of getting tested, and what should be the directions for the counselor considering the particular disorder. //Then// choose which information support s your concluding statement. Suggested information: 1) Description of a patient, real or fictional, and his/her family. The main symptoms and main effects on the life quality of the patient and the family. Include life expectancy. __Picture__: if you have one of a patient with the disorder. . 2) Treatments, if exist, support organizations. 3) Genetic testing: how reliable is it considered, how expensive to perform? 4) Mode of inheritance. 5) Stats: frequency in the US, world-wise, certain ethnic groups? 6) About the normal function of the gene – be brief here! Same about the mutation. 7) Conclusion: for and against genetic counseling. 8) Closing statement. Format: __Font side__ – no smaller than 36, 44 – recommended. __Colors__ – contrasting that make it easy to read. Limited amount of information in each slide. Simple but engaging. – Be creative, original – but don’t go crazy! English: No spelling errors or bad grammar!