When science and the public meet: training for genetic counseling

Abstract

Genetic counseling is beginning to be recognized as a very complex endeavor, as is its training. Attempts to list the separate purposes to be achieved, like the findings of research and evaluation of the process, have been unsatisfactory and even contradictory. These attempts are compared with somewhat similar results in quite different fields of the public understanding of science. The paper discusses these results in the context of first-year and post-graduate courses in human genetics given in a Brazilian university. We suggest that the students' reactions to genetic counseling may be better understood on a two domain model of knowing, and that an explicit understanding of this perspective might be of assistance to trainee genetic counselors while they are learning how to help clients more effectively.

“It’s the X and Y Thing”: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Changes in Children’s Understanding of Genes

“…This type of understanding may only be acquired after several years of formal genetics instruction in school. The notion that there may be two ways of conceptualising genetics resonates with the idea that students' scientific reasoning about formal genetics is kept in a 'decontextualised domain of thought' (Da Rosa and Solomon 1998). According to Da Rosa and Solomon (1998), the domain of scientific thought is particularly taxing for school students and one that is not easily accessed when explaining their own inheritance experiences.…”

“…The notion that there may be two ways of conceptualising genetics resonates with the idea that students' scientific reasoning about formal genetics is kept in a 'decontextualised domain of thought' (Da Rosa and Solomon 1998). According to Da Rosa and Solomon (1998), the domain of scientific thought is particularly taxing for school students and one that is not easily accessed when explaining their own inheritance experiences. For children in our study, there appears to be a divergence between understanding inheritance, especially as it relates to their own experiences and concepts of scientific genetics.…”

“…However, young children tend to show less knowledge of biological inheritance (Solomon et al 1996). Indeed, some researchers argue that children's conceptions of inheritance are derived from prior understanding of kinship and social relationships (Carey 1985;Da Rosa and Solomon, 1998;Richards 1996Richards , 2000. According to this view, young children may have a difficulty in shifting from a social to a biological conception of inheritance.…”

Understandings of Basic Genetics in the United States: Results from a National Survey of Black and White Men and Women

“…Therefore, we convened a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in human genetics, genetic epidemiology and public health to develop a set of correct or incorrect statements about genetics. Considering the arguments that important and different domains of genetic knowledge may exist [26,36,40,41], items were developed to address multiple basic genetic concepts. We selected a final set of eight statements that were deemed by the expert team as most comprehensible and represented a range of topics, with relevance to health, genetic policy and gender/race attitudes.…”

Conhecimento e atitudes sobre genética entre médicos residentes

“…Por esse motivo, esses médicos necessitariam receber uma formação bem melhor que a atual, para que o papel de orientador seja cumprido satisfatoriamente [9][10][11][12] . Segundo Rosa e Solomon 13 , apenas ensinar o que há de mais atual em Genética aos estudantes de Medicina não é suficiente para que eles apliquem seus conhecimentos de forma a beneficiar seus futuros pacientes. Também é necessário ensiná-los o valor do conhecimento da vida diária e de que forma se pode transitar entre este saber e o acadêmico, buscando contribuições de ambos.…”