Do genetics testing or not

[Anonymous]

My oldest child has the same abnormal DNA as my DH, and I am tested normal. The genetic testing result is not really helpful or linked to any diagnosis but at least he contributes to the medical research study with his additional case. Well, he has asd, adhd, epilepsy and global apraxia. DH has adhd and asd. My youngest child has asd, adhd and learning delays. All of my kids and DH are high functioning, and they are expected to live independently. Should I test my youngest child on genetic testing as well? We cannot figure out why my youngest has learning delay.

[Anonymous]

If it's not helpful, no. You probably will never know why. I found genetic testing helpful for me, but not for my child. It depends on the diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

It may not be helpful now but things are changing rapidly. If you can get it covered I would do it and check in with the genetic counselor every 5 years

[Anonymous]

Yes absolutely do it. I have a DD with a rare disease and it’s been more information and data to help her.

Genetic testing can be helpful because it gives you your child’s biological blueprint. Their DNA is the code they were born with and it does not change over time. Even if you do not need all the information right away, it can be valuable to have.

Genetic information is not just academic. It becomes part of your child’s lifelong medical record. Different genetic variants can sometimes affect how a condition shows up in the body, how severe symptoms may be, or how someone might respond to certain treatments. Research in genetics is advancing quickly, and information that seems like background data today may guide medical decisions later.

You do not need to understand every detail of the report. Just make sure to request and keep a copy of the full results so you have that information available if it becomes useful in the future.

[Anonymous]

I personally would take a cautious approach and assume that genetic testing will be used against people throughout their lives. Like it will be part of your medical record that’s evaluated for insurance, or one day used to establish pre-existing conditions. I wouldn’t be surprised if pre-existing medical conditions are excluded from health coverage in the future based on the direction this country is headed these days. I wouldn’t assume there’s only positive benefits of testing.