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Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Abstract

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common known cause of inherited intellectual disability and also the most common known genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Flenthrope & Brady, 2010). About 60% of males diagnosed with FXS meet criteria for ASD (Klusek et al., 2014). Communication impairments are well documented in FXS and ASD; however, limited research has been done to examine early communication in FXS. Gesture use is one of the earliest signs of intentionality and can serve as an early red flag for atypical communication development, even before delays in spoken language are evident (Crais et al, 2009). This study presents a cross-sectional analysis of gesture use in infants with TD, FXS, and siblings of individuals with ASD (ASIBS) at 12 months of age. Our goals were to examine the frequency and function (i.e. behavioral regulation, social interaction, and joint attention) of gesture use in infants at 12-months of age to determine if between-group differences in gestures use are helpful for early detection of language delays. Gestures were coded from the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI; Bryson et el., 2007), using the schema outlined by Watson et al. (2013), which included a checklist of communicative gestures and their functions. Results from a series of statistical analyses indicated a significantly lower frequency of gesture use in infants with FXS compared to infants with TD and similar rates of gesture use among infants with FXS and ASIBS.

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