On Wednesday Luke and Jen took part into research of Gene 16p 11.2 microduplication. We don’t know much about this Gene 16p 11.2 except that 3 people in every 10,000 have it and it affects the way they take information in, the sleep and eating patterns etc. I have 3 children with this gene, so I was curious to know more about it.

I was nervous about meeting the researchers as I wasn’t sure how the kids would react because usually they don’t like strangers in the house. After a few minutes of meeting the 2 researchers S and J all my worries vanished as the kids took a liking to S & J straight away.

The afternoon was very interesting as we went through a questionnaire that delved into the childrens behaviour, personality. It was something I have never sat down and thought about I have always taken Luke and Jen for who they are, never judging them or looking down at them as society does. It certainly gave me food for thought and made me see the children’s quirks in a different light. It made me realise that Luke and Jen were so unique due to their quirks this is what separates them for a neurotypical child. With Luke and Jen it’s not about hitting the major achievements and milestones that count. It’s the minor one’s . For instance how Jen is elated everytime she writes a new letter. Yet despite being 6 years old she is just starting to read and write. Or the fact that Luke loves the weather and sits for hours just watching the weather channel.

It will be very interesting to see the results of this research as I think we might be surprised at some of the results and findings. Maybe then people will understand more about Luke, Jen and Zak who have all got this Gene 16p 11.2 microduplication . So thank you to S and J and all the team for opening up a whole new world for us to explore. I look forward to finding out more