The psychological well-being of mothers raising a child with a developmental disability varies with the nature of the disability. Most research, however, has been focused on Down syndrome and autism. We added mothers whose adolescent or young adult son or daughter has fragile X syndrome. The sample was comprised of mothers of a child with fragile X syndrome (n 22), Down syndrome (n 39), or autism (n 174). Mothers of individuals with fragile X syndrome displayed lower levels of well-being than those of individuals with Down syndrome, but higher levels than mothers of individuals with autism, although group differences varied somewhat across different dimensions of well-being. The most consistent predictor of maternal outcomes was the adolescent or young adult's behavioral symptoms.

Researchers of mathematics learning disability (MLD) commonly use cutoff scores to determine which participants have MLD. Some researchers apply more restrictive cutoffs than others (e.g., performance below the 10th vs. below the 35th percentile). Different cutoffs may lead to groups of children that differ in their profile of math and related skills, including reading, visual-spatial, and working memory skills. The present study assesses the characteristics of children with MLD based on varying MLD definitions of math performance either below the 10th percentile (n = 22) or between the 11th and 25th percentile (n = 42) on the Test of Early Math Ability, second edition (TEMA-2). Initial starting levels and growth rates for math and related skills were examined in these two MLD groups relative to a comparison group (n = 146) whose TEMA-2 performance exceeded the 25th percentile. Between kindergarten and third grade, differences emerged in the starting level and growth rate, suggesting qualitative differences among the three groups. Despite some similarities, qualitative group differences were also observed in the profiles of math-related skills across groups. These results highlight differences in student characteristics based on the definition of MLD and illustrate the value of examining skill areas associated with math performance in addition to math performance itself.

Our findings support the notion that those with co-morbid FXS and autism represent a distinct subtype of FXS, with more impairment in receptive language and theory of mind even when controlling for their lower non-verbal IQ relative to those with only FXS. The greater cognitive impairments observed in those with co-morbid FXS and autism continues into adolescence and young adulthood; and the autism seen in those with FXS appears to be the same as idiopathic autism.

We investigated the receptive language of adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome (n = 25) or fragile X syndrome (n = 19). We were interested in syndrome differences and gender differences within fragile X. Comparison of the syndromes and MA-matched typically developing children (n = 24) revealed that individuals with the syndromes differed in relative achievements across the domains of receptive vocabulary, receptive syntax, and nonverbal cognition as well as in the organization of their linguistic knowledge. Comparison of males and females with fragile X revealed that each displayed synchronous development across the three domains, despite the fact that the receptive language levels of females surpassed that of males.

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Signaling noncomprehension of the spoken messages of others was examined for youth with fragile X or Down syndrome in comparison with each other and nonverbal MA-matched typically developing children. A direction-following task was used in which some of the directions were inadequate. Both syndrome groups signaled noncomprehension less often than did the typically developing children. The ability to signal noncomprehension appropriately was related to a measure of receptive vocabulary and syntax. Preliminary analyses indicated that males with fragile Requests for reprints should be sent to Leonard Abbeduto, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705. Abbeduto@waisman.wisc.edu. HHS Public AccessAuthor manuscript Am J Ment Retard. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 September 25. Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author Manuscript X syndrome signaled noncomprehension less often than did their female peers, even after controlling for differences in nonverbal MA.For a discourse to be successful, the participants must fulfill the obligations associated with their roles as speaker and listener (Clark, 1996). In the role of listener, a participant must use all available sources of information to construct the speaker's intended meaning. Moreover, the listener must signal when comprehension is not possible so that the speaker can provide clarification. If the listener fails to signal noncomprehension, he or she will find it increasingly difficult to construct an accurate representation of the talk and to make meaningful contributions (Clark & Schaefer, 1989). Individuals with intellectual disabilities often fail to signal noncomprehension (Abbeduto, Davies, Solesby, & Furman, 1991;Abbeduto, Short-Meyerson, Benson, & Dolish, 1997;Abbeduto, Short-Meyerson, Benson, Dolish, & Weissman, 1998;Ezell & Goldstein, 1991;Fujiki & Brinton, 1993). There is, however, considerable within-group variability in most domains of language use, including noncomprehension signaling (Abbeduto & Rosenberg, 1980;Bedrosian & Prutting, 1978). The causes and correlates of such variability are poorly understood (Abbeduto & Hesketh, 1997). In this study, we examined the possibility that the nature and extent of problems in noncomprehension signaling vary with etiology by focusing on Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome, the two most common genetic causes of intellectual disabilities (Dykens, Hodapp, & Finucane, 2000). We also examined the sources of between-and withinsyndrome differences in non-comprehension signaling. Such data can provide the foundation for language interventions designed to meet the unique needs of the individual with intellectual disabilities (Dykens et al., 2000;Hodapp & Fidler, 1999;Murphy & Abbeduto, 2005).Signaling noncomprehension requires that the listener continuously monitor his or her understanding and formulate linguistic responses that make clear to the speaker what aspects of the utterance are problematic and, thereby, the nature of the clar...

PURPOSE: To understand the consequences of the 3q29 deletion on medical, neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, brain structural, and neurological sequalae by systematic evaluation of affected individuals. To develop evidence-based recommendations using these data for effective clinical care. METHODS: Thirty-two individuals with the 3q29 deletion were evaluated using a defined phenotyping protocol and standardized data collection instruments. RESULTS: Medical manifestations were varied and reported across nearly every organ system. The most severe manifestations were congenital heart defects (25%) and the most common were gastrointestinal symptoms (81%). Physical examination revealed a high proportion of musculoskeletal findings (81%). Neurodevelopmental phenotypes represent a significant burden and include intellectual disability (34%), autism spectrum disorder (38%), executive function deficits (46%), and graphomotor weakness (78%). Psychiatric illness manifests across the lifespan with psychosis prodrome (15%), psychosis (20%), anxiety disorders (40%), and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (63%). Neuroimaging revealed structural anomalies of the posterior fossa, but on neurological exam study subjects displayed only mild or moderate motor vulnerabilities. CONCLUSION: By direct evaluation of 3q29 deletion study subjects, we document common features of the syndrome, including a high burden of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Evidence-based recommendations for evaluation, referral, and management are provided to help guide clinicians in the care of 3q29 deletion patients.

Fractions pose significant challenges for many children, but for some children those challenges persist into high school. Here we administered a fractions magnitude comparison test to 122 children, from Grades 4 to 8, to test whether their knowledge of fractions typically learned early in the sequence of formal math instruction (e.g., fractions equivalent to “one-half,” and fraction pairs with common denominators) differentiates those with mathematical learning disability (MLD) versus low achievement (LA) or typical achievement (TA) in mathematics, and whether long term learning trajectories of this knowledge also differentiate these groups. We confirmed that although 4th graders with LA (n = 18) or TA (n = 93) are more accurate evaluating one-half vs. non-half fractions (until they reach ceiling performance levels on both types of fractions), children with MLD (n=11) do not show a one-half advantage until Grade 7 and do not reach ceiling performance even by Grade 8. Both the MLD and LA groups have early difficulties with fractions, but by Grade 5 the LA group approaches performance levels of the TA group and deviates from the MLD group. All groups showed a visual model advantage over Arabic number representation of fractions, but this advantage was short lived for the TA group (because ceiling level was achieved across formats), slightly more persistent for the LA group, and persisted through Grade 8 for children with MLD. Thus, difficulties with fractions persist through Grade 8 for many students, but the nature and trajectories of those difficulties varies across children with math difficulties (MLD or LA).