Textbook Describing Down Syndrome As ‘Error’ Triggers Debate

[The Straight Story]

Textbook Describing Down Syndrome As ‘Error’ Triggers Debate

A Massachusetts couple is asking their son’s school district to remove a science textbook that refers to Down syndrome as an “error,” concerned the characterization could lead to bullying.

Books used by seventh graders in Bridgewater, Mass. schools describe Down syndrome by saying “the extra chromosome is the result of an error during meiosis.” The section on the chromosomal disorder also uses the term “mental retardation.”

That description didn’t sit well with Tom and Pauline Lewis. Their son Ian, 14, has Down syndrome and they say the language in the textbook is outdated and could leave Ian’s classmates with a negative view of him and others with the disorder.

The Lewises asked school officials to remove the book from use throughout the district, citing a recent case of bullying against another student with Down syndrome among their concerns. They also pointed to efforts in states across the country — including Massachusetts — and the federal government to replace the term “mental retardation” with language such as “intellectual disability.”

Administrators, however, said it was not financially viable to replace the 2002 editions of Prentice Hall’s “Science Explorer: Cells and Heredity.” Instead they agreed to instruct teachers not to include the section on Down syndrome in their lessons. Further, a committee recommended that the district encourage teachers to conduct classes promoting awareness of disabilities and the meaning of various labels.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/06/11/down-syndrome-textbook/9026/

[ProgressiveVictory]

1. from what I learned in Bio class, its a dan replication error.

am I wrong?

[The Straight Story]

2. Hmmm. Error implies something.

That X is the correct thing and if you are Y you are a product of an 'error'.

Think about if they referred to gays as an error in nature.

[ProgressiveVictory]

3. true. what would be a better word for what happens instead of error?

[The Straight Story]

5. 'Statistical Deviation from the Observed Norm'

:) Hell if I know.

[hlthe2b]

6. Anomaly, I suppose...

[ProgressiveVictory]

8. Isnt an anomaly rare tho?

[hlthe2b]

11. well, one can set different thresholds for "rare."

[ProgressiveVictory]

15. true.

[Posteritatis]

24. Unlike your example, the term's appropriate in this case

One pair of Chromosome 21 is "the correct thing." Three of Chromosome 21 is not, and confers a range of symptoms and disabilities ranging from mild to lethal. It's a very specific case of something not going the way it's supposed to biologically.

I'd take issue with "mental retardation" in the textbook, but not the word "error."

[hlthe2b]

4. It is a replication error... But the issue here isn't science...

it is social stigma... I frankly think that we can teach science in a way that is both accurate and sensitive... Unless, of course, the real issue is religious belief that "God doesn't make mistakes..." In which case, I give up.

I am sensitive to the parents concern for bullying, but that seems to be an entirely separate issue.

[ProgressiveVictory]

7. i agree. I'm just saying what causes it in the first place.

[hlthe2b]

10. and I'm agreeing with you...

[ProgressiveVictory]

14. :)

[gratuitous]

12. True enough

And I suppose a kid getting teased might say, "Well, at least I can blame my condition on a genetic error. Seems like being a jerk is a free choice you made all by yourself." I mean, if you're going to get your ass kicked anyway.

This could be one of those "teachable moment" things.

[KittyWampus]

21. Yeah, one advantage of being on the receiving end of bullying- a sense of humor.

You either learn to crack jokes or end up contemplating suicide.

[liberal_at_heart]

17. exactly

It is a social issue, not a scientific one.

[mike_c]

27. just to be clear, nondisjunction isn't a replication error per se...

...since an extra copy of c21 isn't made. Rather, the c21 replicates are not separated during meiosis, leading one gamete to get two copies and another to receive none. The gamete with the extra c21 is still fertile, so when it fuses with a normal haploid gamete, the resulting zygote is triploid for c21.

[hlthe2b]

33. Yes...

Bottom line though is that all 3 forms of Down's (Trisomy 21, Mosaic and Translocation) are the result of abnormal cell division involving c21 and "error" is a correct term in a scientific discussion,while non-desirable from a social standpoint.

[mike_c]

36. but the source of the problem is the wording in a biology text...

...in an unambiguously scientific context, where social connotations of words like "error" have no place, at least not when describing errors in cell division-- note too that the social connotations were introduced by the parents, not by the scientists who wrote the text. "Sensitivity" is called for in social discussion-- it would be terribly insensitive to call a person an "error," no matter how accurate a description that might be of the process by which they came to have their particular characteristics-- but in the context of describing chromosomal abnormalities caused by nondisjunction (or translocation for that matter), I think the term "error" is entirely appropriate. I certainly use it to describe lots of genetic abnormalities to my own students-- we speak routinely of "copy errors" and "assortment errors." Nondisjunction and translocation are certainly abnormal outcomes during meiosis.

[hlthe2b]

40. that is what I have been saying thoughout...

We are in total agreement. I think the parents need to recognize that a lot of sensitive issues will come up around the issue then and later on as kids hear things from others of through television and other media. Trust is developed by being honest.

Your points later on about the evolutionary significance are important ones that need to be addressed however sensitively.

[mike_c]

41. thanks for clarifying....

I think I misunderstood your intent. D'oh! :hi:

[hlthe2b]

42. Back at ya

:toast:

[madrchsod]

9. shit like this makes my head hurt...

why do`t the teachers inform their students about the changes of the terms and the latest research on down syndrome.most if not all these students have access to the internet where the latest information is easily accessed.

well at least they are going to have awareness classes.

[northernlights]

39. what change of terms?

I'm in med lat tech school right now. My biology text and A&P text refer to errors in meiosis. My clinical chemistry, urinalysis and hematology texts all refer to "mental retardation" and "severe mental retardation" as the outcome of various "Inborn Errors of Metabolism" (eg genetic errors that lead to insufficient, or lack of or nonfunctioning enzymes).

[liberal_at_heart]

13. The majority of humans have some kind of genetic mutation

I have a mutated gene that can cause inherited breast and ovarian cancer and my children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting that gene from me. My son has autism which is at least partly caused by a mutated gene. My husband is legally blind. We don't know if it is due to a mutated gene or not. We need to address bullying from in a social and humanities curriculum not a science curriculum unless you are of course studying why bullying occurs. If we re-word science because we are afraid of bullying then we run the risk of not fully undertanding the conditions we are studying.

[hlthe2b]

19. Yes... one of those "teachable moments"

I agree totally.

[KittyWampus]

22. Excellent point, well taken.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. It IS an error

These parents need to teach their kids not to bully and leave the textbook writing to the experts.

[Posteritatis]

23. Yep. I'd dispute "mental retardation," but not that the trisomy is an error. (nt)

[Lyric]

18. I don't agree with the use of mental retardation, but Trisomy 21 IS an error.

People with Downs are not "mistakes", but their condition is indeed caused by a meiotic error called nondisjunction in which chromosome pairs fail to separate during meiosis--in the case of Downs, it's the 21st chromosome. The gamete (egg or sperm cell) gets two copies of the 21st chromosome, which, when combined with its complimentary gamete during fertilization, produces a zygote with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. For the record, the vast majority of the time (88%) the meiotic error occurs in the egg cell, although it's also possible to have a normal egg fertilized by a sperm with two copies of chromosome 21. I suppose it's also theoretically possible for a normal zygote to result from two gametes that are both "errored"--one with two copies of 21, the other with no copy at all--however, the odds of such a thing happening are incredibly remote.

But back to the original topic--really, there are better ways to combat bullying than to argue that basic biology terms are somehow offensive and/or dangerous. There is no malicious subjectivity here, and the term "error" doesn't arise from someone's biased opinion. These are just simple, unprejudiced genetic facts.

[PBS Poll-435]

20. Then CF and PKU should also be replaced with 'friendlier language'

:shrug:

[jillan]

25. That's a tough one - a change that occurred during conception?

I have a daughter with a genetic abnormality, and I don't really find the word 'error' insulting. BUT if other kids are calling children with Downs 'an error', maybe the language does need to be changed.

[mike_c]

26. it's called nondisjunction and it is indeed a meiosis error...

...causing one gamete-- egg or spermatozoan-- to be diploid for c21. There are a variety of things that can cause c21 nondisjunction, such as failure of the microtubule spindle to attach properly to one or the other kinetochores on c21. If that's not a meiosis error, I'll eat my (biologist's) hat!

[The Straight Story]

29. I think, more simply, there is this:

"Error" implies something human - like "I made a mistake". Nature, one could say, does not make mistakes as it is all a numbers game - 98% chance of X, 1% y, 1% z - if you get Y/Z humans label it an error.

It could be said that it is a normal occurrence as it occurred naturally :) It is just not as statistically as prevalent in nature as X.

[Duer 157099]

28. I suppose they could as easily characterize it as "unique"

or a "non-traditional separation of chromosomes" or perhaps even "rare opportunity" or some other positive language.

Because that's what it is, it's just a different way of doing things.

[mike_c]

31. as a biologist, I disagree....

Trisomy 21 is not "just another way of doing things." It's a survivable genetic accident, and a pretty serious one at that. "Just another way of doing things" implies that there should at least be self-maintained polymorphism for trisomy 21 in the human population, but there is no evidence of this. Women with Down syndrome are sterile, and there are only two recorded instances of Down syndrome male reproduction. In other words, it is-- for all intents and purposes-- NOT a heritable condition.

Finally, nondisjunction happens to all of the other human chromosomes as well, at about the same rate as c21 nondisjunction. Some others are survivable, although all such instances result in profound genetic disorders, and most are NOT survivable. Nondisjunction of chromosomes is almost always fatal. Only trisomy of a few chromosomes is survivable, including c21. I'd hesitate to call nondisjunction simply "another way of doing things" since it is almost invariably fatal, at least in humans.

Edited to note that my comments in the paragraph above refer only to autosomal chromosomes, not sex chromosomes. Although nondisjunction of sex chromosomes often leads to genetic abnormality in humans as well, it doesn't always.

[Duer 157099]

32. I understand, scientifically

but in a textbook for kids, I just don't think that scientific orthodoxy trumps characterizing a kid as an "error."

Just saying that for some of these more delicate issues, a way around that doesn't betray either the science or the person could be found.

[hlthe2b]

34. Discussing an error at the cell division level...

is quite different from characterizing the kid as an "error." I think kids old enough to learn this level of biology can understand that.

[mike_c]

37. that's a good point-- this sort of thing isn't generally taught to young children....

I'm presuming that the text in question was at least a high school text, if not a freshman college biology text.

[Posteritatis]

43. Second sentence of the article specifies seventh grade (nt)

[quaker bill]

30. Kids with unusual characteristics

have always been subject to bullying. Textbooks have nothing to do with it. I was very skinny, very smart, and late to hit puberty, and thus a candidate for abuse. I was just savvy enough to allow three big bruiser guys copy my homework and test answers, the best grades they ever got, problem solved.

Policing the language will not help this situation.

[Horse with no Name]

35. It is merely scientific terminology, not an insult

as is "inborn error of metabolism"
TABLE 1
Inborn Errors of Metabolism and Associated Symptoms*
Diarrhea
Lactase deficiency (common)
Mitochondrial disorders (1:30,000; e.g., Pearson's syndrome )
Abetalipoproteinemia (rare)
Enteropeptidase deficiency (rare)
Lysinuric protein intolerance (rare)
Sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (rare)
Exercise intolerance
Fatty acid oxidation disorders (1:10,000)
Glycogenolysis disorders (1:20,000)
Mitochondrial disorders (1:30,000; e.g., lipoamide dehydrogenase deficiency )
Myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (1:100,000)
Familial myocardial infarct/stroke
5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency (common)
Familial hypercholesterolemia (1:500)
Fabry's disease (1:80,000 to 1:117,000)
Homocystinuria (1:200,000)
Muscle cramps/spasticity
Multiple carboxylase deficiency (e.g., holocarboxylase synthetase ) and biotinidase deficiencies (1:60,000)
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (1:100,000)
HHH syndrome (rare)
Peripheral neuropathy
Mitochondrial disorders (1:30,000)
Peroxisomal disorders (1:50,000; e.g., Zellweger syndrome, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy, Refsum's disease)
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (1:100,000)
Congenital disorders of glycosylation (rare)
Recurrent emesis
Galactosemia (1:40,000)
3-oxothiolase deficiency (1:100,000)
D-2-hydroxyglutaricaciduria (rare)
Symptoms of pancreatitis
Mitochondrial disorders (1:30,000; e.g., cytochrome-c oxidase deficiency; MELAS syndrome; Pearson's syndrome )
Glycogenosis, type I (1:70,000)
Hyperlipoproteinemia, types I and IV (rare)
Lipoprotein lipase deficiency (rare)
Lysinuric protein intolerance (rare)
Upward gaze paralysis
Mitochondrial disorders (1:30,000; e.g., Leigh disease, Kearns-Sayre syndrome )
Niemann-Pick disease, type C (rare)
NOTE: Disorders are listed as possible diagnostic considerations in order of descending incidence. Incidence in the general U.S. population is comparable to international estimates; however, disorders may occur more often in select ethnic populations. Rare is defined as an estimated incidence of fewer than 1:250,000 persons.
HHH = hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia-homocitrullinuria; MELAS = mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes.

*— Inborn errors of metabolism can induce disease manifestations in any organ at various stages of life, from newborn to adulthood. Whereas advanced newborn screening programs using tandem mass spectrometry will detect some inherited metabolic disorders before clinical signs appear, most of these disorders will be detected by the primary care physician before the diagnosis is made. Reliable determination of certain metabolic disorders varies between laboratories. Changes in screening reflect a growing field.

Information from references1 through3.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0601/p1981.html

[depakid]

38. The Lewises aren't all that different from fundies

[REP]

44. There is no need to change the language; it is used properly

It's bad enough that Down's Syndrome has been 'softened' to "Down Syndrome," which does nothing but sound awkward.

[Gaedel]

45. Word changes

Science has already lost the descriptive terms "idiot", "imbecile", and "moron" to sensitivities.

"Mental retardation" seems to be on the way out as well.

[Warren DeMontague]

46. If you accept that the function of genes is to replicate themselves as accurately as possible

it's an "error", nothing but.