Hurrah--a few doctors are tuning in!

Thank you everyone for your support of my research; it means a lot to me to have a few lurkers at experiment.com interested in my question (and my findings)!

As of this morning my link went out to a listserv of pediatricians who have agreed to take surveys. Two docs replied within minutes, bringing my total N, i.e., number of participants, up to 22. Offering a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card to those who complete my study seems to help docs to jump in to do it.

Other good news. My committee will let me stop collecting data once 50 docs reply so things are looking up to finish the study this summer. A glance at the data shows emerging support for a few of my hypotheses. First, 90% of the docs who replied have strong biases of which they may be unaware against persons with disability. The other 10% show moderate unconscious preference for abled persons. Second, many docs have expressed thoughts that infants with Trisomy 21 pose unique challenges that make it unlikely that they will thrive and grow the same ways that neurotypical children do. The same thoughts have not been shared as often for infants with cerebral palsy or fetal alcohol effects, but that may in part be because Trisomy 21 is a readily recognized condition in the public's eyes. Thus, ideas are widespread that advanced developmental skills, e.g., language, cognition, are unlikely for members of this group. A history of expecting little from these babies adds to these social perception biases. Data regarding expectations for mental health challenges, i.e., for parents or for infants, is still under review.