FPG Project Summary

Speech and Language Trajectories of Girls with Fragile X Syndrome

This research is one of the first studies to examine the language development of preschool and early elementary age girls with FXS and focus on language characteristics common in older females with FXS (e.g., conversational difficulties). The study also is the first to examine how variations in genotype may explain communication differences in girls with FXS. The objectives of the study are: a) to identify how biological characteristics [FMR1 protein (FMRP) and activation ratio (AR)] and other child (e.g., cognitive level) and environmental factors (e.g., responsiveness of the home environment) contribute to the development of language skills of girls with FXS; and b) to compare the developmental language profile of girls with FXS across vocabulary, syntax, and language use to the developmental language profiles of boys with FXS. Participants include 45 girls with FXS between 3 and 9 years of age at entry into the study. Determining whether a unique communication phenotype exists for girls with FXS and how clinical variability in communication skills is affected by variations in a child’s genetic status has direct implications for earlier identification of girls with FXS, determining how language assessment and treatment protocols for girls with FXS should differ from boys with FXS and from children with other forms of mental retardation, and how these protocols would increase the communication effectiveness of girls with FXS.