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Infant Development in Fragile X Syndrome: Cross-Syndrome Comparisons

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Abstract

This study examined the developmental profile of male infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and its divergence from typical development and development of infants at high risk for autism associated with familial recurrence (ASIBs). Participants included 174 boys ranging in age from 5 to 28 months. Cross-sectional profiles on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning indicated infants with FXS could be differentiated from typically developing infants and ASIBs by 6 months of age. Infants with FXS displayed a trend of lower developmental skills with increasing age that was unique from the typically developing and ASIB groups. Findings suggest infants with FXS present with more significant, pervasive and early emerging delays than previously reported with potentially etiologically distinct developmental profiles.

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Acknowledgments

Research was supported by funding from the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education; H324C990042 (PI: Bailey) and the National Institute of Mental Health; R01MH0901194-01A1 (PI: Roberts). Data and research tools used in the preparation of this article reside in and were analyzed using the NIH-supported NIMH Data Repositories, a collaborative informatics system created by the National Institutes of Health to provide a national resource to support and accelerate research in mental health related conditions.

Author Contributions

Dr. Roberts assisted with the conceptualization of the study, extensively revised the manuscript, and approved final manuscript as submitted. Dr. McCary assisted with the conceptualization of the study, wrote the initial draft of the manuscript, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and assisted with statistical analysis. Dr. Shinkareva provided expertise on the data analysis, assisted in writing the results, and approved final manuscript. Dr. Bailey provided expertise in the conceptualization of the manuscript, reviewed and revised the manuscript, and approved final submission.

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  1. Lindsay M. McCary

    Present address: Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of South Carolina, 1512 Pendleton St., Barnwell College 224, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Jane E. Roberts, Lindsay M. McCary & Svetlana V. Shinkareva

  2. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Donald B. Bailey Jr.

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  1. Jane E. Roberts
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Correspondence to Jane E. Roberts.

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Roberts, J.E., McCary, L.M., Shinkareva, S.V. et al. Infant Development in Fragile X Syndrome: Cross-Syndrome Comparisons. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 2088–2099 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2737-1

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