Explaining Huntingdons Disease to Child (8)

[chobbler]

Don't know if it is the right place for this but has anyone found a website that explains genetics at KS2 level. I am trying to explain to DD why my little brother (who is adopted) has a hereditary disease because his dad isn't really my big brothers dad and DD's grandad. we understand adopted and different dad but are struggling with the concept of being made half of your mummy and half daddy, and the passing on of faulty bits.

Any help received as we are all reeling from the news and I am trying to avoid the awkward questions aimed currently at Gran and Grandad.

Oh dear - so sorry about the diagnosis - how hard for you all.

Have you seen the UK association webpage here

Don't think it explains the genetics particularly but could still be useful and there is an e-mail address you could use to ask for more help?

chobbler - so sorry that you are having to face this at the moment. How old is your DD...? I will have a think and come back to you. Until I had DS2 was a hospital play specialist and spent a lot of time talking about just this sort of thing with children. My last significant piece of of work was explaining another genetic condition - CF - to a patient of 9 years. I will need to think to remember how we talked about this - hence knowing how old your DD is and how much she already knows/understands. MPD

8 and I have to be careful how I explain things as we already have an unhealthy terror of hospitals and tests she lost a school friend to cancer when she was 4.

You could try using this card game from the Institute of Biology Happy Families.

Oh mummytime that is a brilliant link thank you. I need to have a better birds and bees talk first by the the looks of things. Thank you.

Northern Lurker thank you, I had tried there but we were still confused.

I used Blue eyes/Brown eyes for basic genetics for my dds. Blue eyes is recessive (ie you need to have blue/blue to have blue eyes) Brown eyes is dominant (ie blue/brown; brown/blue; brown/brown all give brown eyes)

You get one bit of eye colour from each parent, and they had fun working out all the possibilities and discovering things like if one parent is brown/brown, children have to have brown eyes.
If both parents have blue eyes (ie both are blue/blue) then all children must have blue eyes. (dh's aunt managed brown eyes from that combination but we won't go too far into that. I just say she's a mutant)

It's very much simplified and basic, but it gave them a flavour of how it's worked out.

Thnx guys I think we have nailed it :) Now to explain what will happen :(

We have huntington's disease in our family...my grandfather, aunt and dad...there is a book available for children. I will have a google and see what I can find. Sorry you are dealing with this.

My DS was 7 when dad was diagnosed...kept it simple...'the part of granda's brain that controls his feet doesn't work so well' etc.

My DS and nieces/nephew are aged between 6 and 16 and they 'get' the family history part because they have grown up with it. It will be harder for you as the adoption removes some of the familiarity. Good Luck...x

A kid's guide

Bryan's Dad's got Huntington's Disease

Possibly the second one is a bit grown up and detailed.

thank you so much.