Genetic counseling in pediatric practice.

Genetic counseling can be incorporated into pediatric practice with relative ease. The pediatrician committed to caring for the "whole child" can ill-afford to overlook the medical and psychosocial impact of genetic disorders on his patients, their families and society at large. This article briefly reviews the rapidly growing field of genetic counseling as applied to pediatric practice. Clues to diagnosis and the principles involved in counseling and risk estimation based on accumulated data and personal experience are presented.