Yeah, that phrase was commonly used in my OB/GYN rotation. The pearl I remember most is “The most common cause of FLK is FLP (Funny Looking Parents)”.
Down syndrome can apparently lead to a small mouth, which causes the tongue to protrude, which in turn can lead to mouth breathing.
A variant I’ve run into is AQR or Ain’t Quite Right
My veterinarian shared with me that a few of her medical records contain the code DSTO.
Dog smarter than owner.
Several studies I have read about on the topic - “what makes an attractive mate?” - mentioned that good looks (and particularly facial symmetry) are indications of good genes, good environment for development, etc. The point was that even if subconsciously, human brains are well tuned to recognize flaws in other humans that scream “unhealthy, not good breeding material!” (Men just ignore those 
) So the subtle cues that some people may give off that point them out as unhealthy, we tend to recognize; not just with physical deformities, but also how a person carries themselves in social situations, or even how they appear walking down the street.
(There’s a term in computer graphics and robotics called the “uncanny divide” - computer-generated humans in movies, or robots with Mme Tussaud-level human appearance, still give off “vibes” that humans recognize as “not quite right” in their attempt to act life-like. Just as some humans probably couldn’t pass a Turing test, some probably fail to pass the uncanny divide…)
If they have Down’s Syndrome, for example, it also leads to distinctive physical characteristics.
I would imagine that being intellectually disabled would also affect facial expressions.
Old Victorian melodrama -
A: “I’m not as dumb as you think I am…”
B: “No, you couldn’t be…”
I realize this is an old post by a banned poster, but there are parents of NORMAL children who do this. :rolleyes: :mad:
Er…are you my neighbor?
It’s not always a bad thing and normal people try to look retarded. Just look at half the women in the movies, specially the steamy scenes.
I also know a couple of guys with acquired brain injury. The frozen joints (following the physical injury) give you a clue something is wrong, and the dent in the skull is another indication.
Only men?
Considering the kind of men a lot of women voluntarily breed with, you’re quite mistaken. Drug addict? Criminal record? Chronically unemployed? They’ve got chicks standing in line. :rolleyes:
Then there is savant syndrome, where the individual may be able to do certain things extraordinarily well, like being able to hear a complicated piece of music once and then play it perfectly note for note. But in everything else they may have very limited ability. IIRC savant capabilities are unknown to exist in people who aren’t disabled… You don’t get the good without the bad, in other words. A couple of other examples of savant skills: art, numeric ability (like in The Rain Man), etc.
Sometimes savant syndrome occurs with autism; I’m not certain that even severe autism is considered retardation as such, though. Occasionally I come across usages that suggest that autism and ID are being conflated in the popular imagination. I’ve come across a plot summary of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape that describes DiCaprio’s character as autistic.
Advances in both DNA analysis and facial analysis software have helped develop new diagnostic tools that just rely on a cellphone camera.
The extension of this approach to diverse (i.e. non-white european) populations is an ongoing effort:
Facial recognition software helps diagnose rare genetic disease
In many cases, the analysis is of features not directly recognizable to the human eye, but forms part of a statistically significant pattern that allows deeper investigation.
My neighbor was telling me about her younger brother that had just passed away. She said he had fetal alcohol syndrome as a child and that his body was slightly misshapen and his eyes never focussed properly. What’s interesting is her eyes wander and she has a very stocky look to her torso and neck. I’m guessing the alcohol issue probably affected all the siblings. No?
It’s worth mentioning that not all conditions of facial abnormality are associated with intellectual deficit. Treacher Collins syndrome is a good example.
I have often reflected, not exactly on the OP, but on the opposite – how do I know someone is unusually intelligent, or unusually interesting, without them opening their mouth. Down’s Syndrome aside, it is just another facet of that question. How is it that faces look like their contents? It’s rare that they do not, and when there’s a disparity it is usually because youth, sexual beauty (there are other kinds but they aren’t as distracting), or something externally destructive (like chronic drug abuse) has masked it.
It’s their eyes, mostly. Are they looking up, down, away, or straight at you? Do they perk up when they hear something interesting? You can’t put too much stock in that, because my dog also does all that, but it’s somewhere to start.
Well, during the golden age of cinema female movie stars liked to look and talk retarded.
Say what now?