Misleading face-based judgment of cognitive level in intellectual disability: The case of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

Enea-Drapeau, Claire; Huguet, Pascal; Carlier, Michèle

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.09.003

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Not only are these people judged stereotypically, but their intelligence is also perceived as being different: it is seen as less malleable when compared to the intelligence of people, and even by professionals working in the field of intellectually disability. Enea-Drapeau, Huguet and Carlier showed that the level of intelligence of children with DS, when judged on the basis of facial features, was found to be misleading, notably in non-professionals [ 40 ]. All these findings confirm that there is a high risk that individuals can be prejudiced in their view of the intelligence of people with DS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit theories concerning the intelligence of individuals with Down syndrome

2017

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Studies over the past three decades have shown that learning difficulties are not only determined by neurological disorders, but also by motivational and/or socio-cognitive factors Among these factors, implicit theories of intelligence (also referred to as conceptions, mindsets or beliefs about intelligence) are key elements. The belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory), as opposed to malleable (incremental theory), is generally associated with negative teaching practices and poorer student outcomes, yet beliefs about the intelligence of individuals with intellectual disabilities have not received much attention. We propose the first study on conceptions of intelligence of persons with intellectual disabilities, here people with Down syndrome. Participants were 55 professionally qualified people working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and 81 adults from the community. We compared what both groups of participants believe about intelligence of typical people and what they believe about the intelligence of individuals with Down syndrome. We also investigated implicit theories of intelligence as predictors of explicit judgments about intelligence and implicit attitudes toward people with Down syndrome. Whatever the work experience in the field of intellectual disability, implicit theories of intelligence were found to be less incremental when considering people with Down syndrome than when considering typical people; and the stronger the belief in entity theory, the more negative (and less positive) the judgments expressed explicitly. Implicit theories of intelligence were also found to be predictors of negative implicit attitude but only in adults from the community. These findings offer prospects for improving practices by people working in the field of intellectual disability. They might interest a wide range of people caring for people with intellectual disabilities, such as teachers, but also other professional caregivers, and other scientists focusing on intellectual disabilities or social cognition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit theories concerning the intelligence of individuals with Down syndrome

2017

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“…Moreover, the objectification of facial features risks reinforcing common lay assumptions that intelligence and cognitive ability can be reliably inferred through facial attributes, often associating lower mental and emotional functioning with distinctive facial traits linked to neurodevelopmental disorder [33]. Clinical research which focuses on facial appearance does little to challenge these pernicious views, despite contrary evidence indicating that many individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions are capable of deep reflection, emotional connection, and intelligence [18,19,33,34]. The goal may be to improve clinical understanding and diagnosis, yet it is unclear how facial phenotyping will help cultivate greater societal understanding and acceptance of individuals with intellectual disability.…”

Section: Scientific Case For Facial Phenotyping Of Neurodevelopmementioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical dangers of facial phenotyping through photography in psychiatric genomics studies

Kong

2019

J Med Ethics

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Psychiatric genomics research protocols are increasingly incorporating tools of deep phenotyping to observe and examine phenotypic abnormalities among individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, photography and the use of two-dimensional and three-dimensional facial analysis is thought to shed further light on the phenotypic expression of the genes underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as provide potential diagnostic tools for clinicians. In this paper, I argue that the research use of photography to aid facial phenotyping raises deeply fraught issues from an ethical point of view. First, the process of objectification through photographic imagery and facial analysis could potentially worsen the stigmatisation of persons with neurodevelopmental disorders. Second, the use of photography for facial phenotyping has worrying parallels with the historical misuse of photography to advance positive and negative eugenics around race, ethnicity and intellectual disability. The paper recommends ethical caution in the use of photography and facial phenotyping in psychiatric genomics studies exploring neurodevelopmental disorders, outlining certain necessary safeguards, such as a critical awareness of the history of anthropometric photography use among scientists, as well as the exploration of photographic methodologies that could potentially empower individuals with disabilities.

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A reassessment of Jackson’s checklist and identification of two Down syndrome sub-phenotypes

Locatelli

Onnivello

Gori

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Down syndrome (DS) is characterised by several clinical features including intellectual disability (ID) and craniofacial dysmorphisms. In 1976, Jackson and coll. identified a checklist of signs for clinical diagnosis of DS; the utility of these checklists in improving the accuracy of clinical diagnosis has been recently reaffirmed, but they have rarely been revised. The purpose of this work is to reassess the characteristic phenotypic signs and their frequencies in 233 DS subjects, following Jackson's checklist. 63.77% of the subjects showed more than 12 signs while none showed less than 5, confirming the effectiveness of Jackson's checklist for the clinical diagnosis of DS. An association between three phenotypic signs emerged, allowing us to distinguish two sub-phenotypes: Brachycephaly, short and broad Hands, short Neck (BHN), which is more frequent, and "non-BHN". The strong association of these signs might be interpreted in the context of the growth defects observed in DS children suggesting decreased cell proliferation. Lastly, cognitive assessments were investigated for 114 subjects. The lack of association between the presence of a physical sign or the number of signs present in a subject and cognitive skills disproves the stereotype that physical characteristics are predictive of degree of ID.

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Misleading face-based judgment of cognitive level in intellectual disability: The case of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)

Cited by 6 publications

References 48 publications

Implicit theories concerning the intelligence of individuals with Down syndrome

Implicit theories concerning the intelligence of individuals with Down syndrome

Ethical dangers of facial phenotyping through photography in psychiatric genomics studies

A reassessment of Jackson’s checklist and identification of two Down syndrome sub-phenotypes

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