Expressive Language During Conversational Speech in Boys With Fragile X Syndrome

Author(s):  
Joanne E. Roberts ◽  
Elizabeth A. Hennon ◽  
Johanna R. Price ◽  
Elizabeth Dear ◽  
Kathleen Anderson ◽  
...  
2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Hahn ◽  
Nancy C. Brady ◽  
Kandace K. Fleming ◽  
Steven F. Warren

PurposeIn this study, we examine joint engagement (JE) in young children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and its relationship to language abilities and autism spectrum disorder symptomatology at 24 to 36 months (toddler period) and 59 to 68 months (child period).MethodParticipants were 28 children with FXS (24 boys, four girls) and their mothers. Videotaped home observations were conducted during the toddler period and coded for JE. Language abilities were measured at both ages from a developmental assessment, a functional measure, and from a language sample. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (Schopler, Reichler, & Renner, 1988) was completed at both ages.ResultsChildren with FXS spent more time in supported JE than in coordinated JE. Using a weighted JE variable, we found that children with FXS who had higher weighted JE scores also had more advanced expressive language skills at both the toddler and child periods. Weighted JE was negatively related to autism symptomatology in the toddler period.ConclusionThis study provides evidence that children with FXS who use more JE also have more advanced expressive language skills in early development. Therefore, existing early interventions that target JE behaviors may be effective for promoting language, social communication, and social interaction in this population.


Author(s):  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis ◽  
Audra Sterling ◽  
Stephanie Sherman ◽  
Jamie O. Edgin ◽  
...  

In the original publication of this article [1], the author name Leonard Abbeduto was misspelled as Leonardkk Abbeduto. The original article has been corrected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M Schmitt ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Ernest V Pedapati ◽  
Angela John Thurman ◽  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
...  

Abstract Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited intellectual disability and monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder. Expressive language deficits, especially in speech production, are nearly ubiquitous among individuals with fragile X, but understanding of the neurological bases for these deficits remains limited. Speech production depends on feedforward control and the synchronization of neural oscillations between speech-related areas of frontal cortex and auditory areas of temporal cortex. Interaction in this circuitry allows the corollary discharge of intended speech generated from an efference copy of speech commands to be compared against actual speech sounds, which is critical for making adaptive adjustments to optimize future speech. We aimed to determine whether alterations in coherence between frontal and temporal cortices prior to speech production are present in individuals with fragile X and whether they relate to expressive language dysfunction. Twenty-one participants with full-mutation fragile X syndrome (aged 7–55 years, eight females) and 20 healthy controls (matched on age and sex) completed a talk/listen paradigm during high-density EEG recordings. During the talk task, participants repeated pronounced short vocalizations of ‘Ah’ every 1–2 s for a total of 180 s. During the listen task, participants passively listened to their recordings from the talk task. We compared pre-speech event-related potential activity, N1 suppression to speech sounds, single trial gamma power and fronto-temporal coherence between groups during these tasks and examined their relation to performance during a naturalistic language task. Prior to speech production, fragile X participants showed reduced pre-speech negativity, reduced fronto-temporal connectivity and greater frontal gamma power compared to controls. N1 suppression during self-generated speech did not differ between groups. Reduced pre-speech activity and increased frontal gamma power prior to speech production were related to less intelligible speech as well as broader social communication deficits in fragile X syndrome. Our findings indicate that coordinated pre-speech activity between frontal and temporal cortices is disrupted in individuals with fragile X in a clinically relevant way and represents a mechanism contributing to prominent speech production problems in the disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1179
Author(s):  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
Jessica Klusek ◽  
Julie Lounds Taylor ◽  
Nadia Abdelnur ◽  
Nicole Sparapani ◽  
...  

Background. Few individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) successfully meet adult normative expectations in education, employment, peer relations, and habitation, although there is within-syndrome variability in this regard. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether expressive language skills contribute to the capacity for independent functioning in adulthood even after controlling for nonverbal cognitive ability. Methods. Participants were 18- to 23-year-olds with FXS. Expressive language was assessed using the psychometrically validated Expressive Language Sampling (ELS) conversation and narration procedures. The language produced was transcribed and analyzed to yield measures of expressive vocabulary, syntax, and intelligibility. Parents concurrently completed questionnaires on the independent functioning of the participants with FXS. Results. All three ELS measures were significantly corelated with multiple measures of independence. The magnitudes of the correlations were reduced when nonverbal IQ was controlled through partial correlation. Nonetheless, many of the partial correlations were medium to large and several were statistically significant. Conclusions. Expressive language skills appear to contribute uniquely to the capacity for independence, although longitudinal data are needed to evaluate the possibility of a bidirectional relationship between these domains. Thus, language intervention may be a prerequisite for preparing youth with FXS for an independent adult life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Shaffer ◽  
Lauren Schmitt ◽  
Angela John Thurman ◽  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
Michael Hong ◽  
...  

Language impairment is a core difficulty in fragile X syndrome (FXS), and yet standardized measures lack the sensitivity to assess developmental changes in the nature of these impairments. Expressive Language Sampling Narrative (ELS-N) has emerged as a promising new measure with research demonstrating its usefulness in a wide range of ages in developmental disabilities and typical development. We examined ELS-N results in FXS and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls along with cognitive, adaptive, and clinical measures. We found the groups differed significantly on all ELS-N variables. Cognitive abilities were related to lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and unintelligibility for the FXS group, but only verbal abilities were related to syntactic complexity in TD. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology was related to less intelligibility in speech. Measures of hyperactivity were related to increased talkativeness and unintelligibility. In addition, FXS males in comparison to FXS females were more impaired in cognitive ability, ASD symptoms, hyperactivity, and anxiety. This study extends the previous ELS research, supporting its use in FXS research as a measure to characterize language abilities. It also demonstrates the relationships between ELS-N variables and measures of cognitive, adaptive, ASD symptoms, and clinical symptoms.


Author(s):  
Heather Fielding-Gebhardt ◽  
Steven F. Warren

Abstract The predictive ability of early consonant inventory and intentional communication on later expressive language was examined in 36 boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Autism symptom severity was included as a potential moderator. Participants were visited in their homes twice over a 6-year period, and mother-child interactions were videotaped, coded, and transcribed behavior by behavior. Consonant inventory and concurrent autism symptom severity were predictive of later number of different words, as was the interaction between the two. Intentional communication was not predictive of number of different words. These findings provide additional specific evidence for differences in foundational language abilities associated with autism symptom severity in boys with FXS. Clinical implications are discussed.


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