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Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome missed by physician

By John Lloyd on Jul. 24, 2007.

News sources are publishing an AP story by Mitch Stacy about a jury that found a physician liable for failing to diagnose a case of the genetic disorder Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome (SLOs) and awarded the parents $21 million. In his story, entitled “$21 Million Awarded for ‘Wrongful Birth,’” Mr. Stacy explains that in their suit, the parents (Daniel and Amara Estrada) claimed that Dr. Boris Kousseff (who is an expert on SLOs) and Dr. Lynda Pollack failed to diagnose the Estradas’ first child’s case of SLOs. They claimed that because Dr. Kousseff told them they could have normal children, they did not test for SLOs during a second pregnancy, and the second child was also born with SLOs.

Writing for the Tampa Bay (FL, US) Tribune under the headline, “USF , Physician Liable For Botched Diagnosis,” Thomas W. Krause gives a detailed report. Here is Mr. Krause’s lead:

A University of South Florida doctor gave Daniel and Amara Estrada the green light to go ahead with a second pregnancy even though their first child has significant birth defects.

The doctor, however, did not give the Estradas all the facts.

A jury determined the Estradas deserve $23.5 million for lifetime care of their second child, born with the same genetic disorder as their first. The award includes payment for the pain and suffering caused by the doctor’s misdiagnosis. Because USF is a government agency, the couple must petition the Legislature for the bulk of the money.

Had Boris Kousseff properly diagnosed Aiden Estrada with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, the parents would have known there was a 25 percent chance their second child would have the disorder. A simple test could have found the disorder before Caleb Estrada was born.

There are lots of interesting twists to this story. For example, Mrs. Estrada is reported to have said that had she known that their second fetus had the disorder, she would have had an abortion. State legislators, who must decide whether the full award will be honored, will surely come under substantial political pressure when the legislature hears the claim.

Link to Mr. Kruase’s story.
Link to the versions of Mr. Stacy’s story on AOL news, Comcast, Free Republic, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
Link to the Wikipedia entry about SLOs.

Closing centers

By John Lloyd on Jul. 19, 2007.

The Maryland (MD, US) state department of education is moving to close special education facilities, requiring students to attend neighborhood schools instead, according to a story entitled “Special-ed backers scramble to save learning centers” by Marcus Moore. In his article, published in Gazette Net, Mr. Moore reported that Maryland Superintendent Jerry D. Weast has accelerated the time line for closing the special education centers.
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Special education professors political views

By John Lloyd on Jul. 16, 2007.

According to a poll, people in the USA are concerned about the political opinions of professors.

Zogby Poll: Most Think Political Bias Among College Professors a Serious Problem: Four in 10 said the problem is “very serious;” Tenure seen as harmful to teaching quality

As legislation is introduced in more than a dozen states across the country to counter political pressure and proselytizing on students in college classrooms, a majority of Americans believe the political bias of college professors is a serious problem, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Nearly six in 10 – 58% – said they see it as a serious problem, with 39% saying it was a “very serious” problem.

The online survey of 9,464 adult respondents nationwide was conducted July 5-9, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.0 percentage points.

Predictably, whether political bias is a problem depends greatly on the philosophy of the respondents. While 91% of very conservative adults said the bias is a “serious problem,” just 3% of liberals agreed. Conservatives have long held that college campuses are a haven for liberal professors.

Hmmmm…I wonder to what extent that’s true. Admitting that this will not be a scientifically conducted survey, let’s just run a little poll. We’ll have to trust that those who vote here are members of college or university faculties and that they vote honestly (i.e., only once).

Professors, please rate your political view (this is anonymous) on this scale:

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Link for the full story about the Zogby Poll.

Protected: Brooklyn College Assistant/Associate Professor in Special Education

By MaryannM on Jul. 16, 2007.