The genetic testing of children.

(2) In contrast, the working party believes that predictive testing for an adult onset disorder should generally not be undertaken if the child is healthy and there are no medical interventions established as useful that can be offered in the event of a positive test result. We would generally advise against such testing, unless there are clear cut and unusual arguments in favour. This does not entail our recommending that families should avoid discussing the issues with younger children, but rather that formal genetic testing should generally wait until the "children" request such tests for themselves, as autonomous adults. This respect for autonomy and confidentiality would entail the deferral of testing until the person is either adult, or is able to appreciate not only the genetic facts of the matter but also the emotional and social consequences of the various possible test results. In circumstances when this type of testing is being contemplated, there should be full discussions both within the family and between parents and genetic health professionals (clinical geneticists or non-mecical genetic counsellors); the more serious the disorder, the stronger the arguments in favour of testing would need to be.