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Applying this information to parenting is the killer app for genetic profiles, much more compelling than employer screening. A sheet of paper that tells you wha

Applying this information to parenting is the killer app for genetic profiles, much more compelling than employer screening. A sheet of paper that tells you what's unique about your kids and how to raise them? It would be very hard to say no.

KiwiNige 18y ago
The danger with this stuff is some people take it very literally, then a few years later we hear that it's not the whole story and unless you take something else into account then you've done it wrong. I'm not trying to shoot down the research I think it's great to have more understanding of how out DNA affects personality, but that's just another tool to add to the whole set. You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program; you actually have to pay attention to how each individual child learns.
- rms 18y ago
  A suite of genetic tests in this area would be a novelty but there will probably be something here in the long run.
- alex_c 18y ago
  You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program The cynical part of me notes that this is EXACTLY what some parents want...
  - swombat 18y ago
    So long as the 10-step program comes with a bottle of pills for when the child deviates.
- Alex3917 18y ago
  "You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program; you actually have to pay attention to how each individual child learns." When the child is very young it makes sense to follow the practice that yields the best results on average, absent of additional information. Some children might not benefit as much or at all from breastfeeding, but it would be irrational not to breastfeed your child unless you suspected that your child was an exception. There isn't a best practice for facet of child development, but I think it would be a huge mistake to come away from this article believing that no best practices exist.
  - greendestiny 18y ago
    Personally I still find the breastfeeding-IQ link dubious. This blog is an interesting look at the study mentioned: http://www.halfsigma.com/2007/11/breastfeeding-d.html http://www.halfsigma.com/2007/11/breastfeeding-d.html If a study that controls for maternal and paternal IQ and uses modern formula still finds a link then it would be more convincing. Having said that, breastfeeding seems to have a clear positive effect on the immune system of babies.
    - Alex3917 18y ago
      I think the immune system effects alone make breastfeeding the clear best practice, even if no IQ boost exists.
      - KiwiNige 18y ago
        There is also a school of though that says the extra cuddles and being held in mothers space is good for them alone. This can be done with a bottle but does not have to be.
- mwerty 18y ago
  Bad: Prestige payoffs in mining correlations regarding things I can relate to as a layperson. Good: Making steps towards gaining a much more detailed understanding of how the brain actually works.
- seregine 18y ago
  There are extreme strawmen at both ends of the scale: the 10-step program is one, Luddism is the other. Progress is in the middle.

KiwiNige 18y ago

The danger with this stuff is some people take it very literally, then a few years later we hear that it's not the whole story and unless you take something else into account then you've done it wrong. I'm not trying to shoot down the research I think it's great to have more understanding of how out DNA affects personality, but that's just another tool to add to the whole set. You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program; you actually have to pay attention to how each individual child learns.

rms 18y ago
A suite of genetic tests in this area would be a novelty but there will probably be something here in the long run.
alex_c 18y ago
You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program The cynical part of me notes that this is EXACTLY what some parents want...
- swombat 18y ago
  So long as the 10-step program comes with a bottle of pills for when the child deviates.
Alex3917 18y ago
"You can't reduce the complexity of parenting or education to an easy 10 step program; you actually have to pay attention to how each individual child learns." When the child is very young it makes sense to follow the practice that yields the best results on average, absent of additional information. Some children might not benefit as much or at all from breastfeeding, but it would be irrational not to breastfeed your child unless you suspected that your child was an exception. There isn't a best practice for facet of child development, but I think it would be a huge mistake to come away from this article believing that no best practices exist.
- greendestiny 18y ago
  Personally I still find the breastfeeding-IQ link dubious. This blog is an interesting look at the study mentioned: http://www.halfsigma.com/2007/11/breastfeeding-d.html http://www.halfsigma.com/2007/11/breastfeeding-d.html If a study that controls for maternal and paternal IQ and uses modern formula still finds a link then it would be more convincing. Having said that, breastfeeding seems to have a clear positive effect on the immune system of babies.
  - Alex3917 18y ago
    I think the immune system effects alone make breastfeeding the clear best practice, even if no IQ boost exists.
    - KiwiNige 18y ago
      There is also a school of though that says the extra cuddles and being held in mothers space is good for them alone. This can be done with a bottle but does not have to be.
mwerty 18y ago
Bad: Prestige payoffs in mining correlations regarding things I can relate to as a layperson. Good: Making steps towards gaining a much more detailed understanding of how the brain actually works.
seregine 18y ago
There are extreme strawmen at both ends of the scale: the 10-step program is one, Luddism is the other. Progress is in the middle.