Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Dyadic caregiver-child interactions are commonly used to examine children's language learning environments.
Genetic repeats—a sequence or segment of DNA that is repeated over and over in a row—is a typical part of the genome. However, when there is an atypical number of repeats in the DNA sequence, it can lead to impaired gene function and be the cause of more than 50 expansion conditions including fragile X syndrome (FXS).
The purpose of this research is to better understand how skills related to executive function like memory and flexible thinking are related to grammar and language comprehension and production in children with FXS, DS, and DLD, and a comparison group of neurotypical children.
Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, may be unfolding in brain cells even before birth, despite typically going undiagnosed until age 3 or later.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common heritable form of intellectual and developmental disability. It is also the most common single genetic contributor to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Research studies at the Waisman Center cover both basic science and behavioral research on FXS, starting with the individual, up to the family unit, from childhood, and into old age.
Xinyu Zhao, PhD, Waisman investigator and professor of neuroscience, was recently awarded a Kellett Mid-Career Award, among 11 others, by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.
A recent study shows that boys with fragile X syndrome and co-occurring ASD (fragile X + ASD), and autistic boys have similar patterns of linguistic errors and omit more words in conversations compared to non-autistic boys.
Expressive language impairments are common among school-age boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autistic boys.
One mutation in a single gene, as straightforward as it may sound, can cause a broad range of symptoms and severity among those who carry it. This is the case for fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common hereditary form of intellectual disability.
