Autism traits in children and adolescents with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Title

Autism traits in children and adolescents with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Creator

Srivastava S; Landy-Schmitt C; Clark B; Kline A D; Specht M; Grados M A

Publisher

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A

Date

2014

Subject

Communication; adolescent; Autism; emotion; age; verbal communication; communication disorder; priority journal; interpersonal communication; skill; intellectual impairment; human; article; child; female; male; adult; diagnosis; clinical article; daily life activity; disease severity; autism; Cornelia de Lange syndrome; phenotype; compulsion; language; stereotypy; adaptive behavior; socialization; Aberrant Behavior Checklist; behavior disorder; Behavioral phenotype; checklist; Childhood Autism Rating Scale; de Lange syndrome; hyperactivity; lethargy; limb; maladjustment; psychological rating scale; rating scale; Repetitive behaviors; rigidity; social cognition; Social cognition; Vineland Adaptive Behaviors Scales; behavioral problems; De Lange syndrome; trajectory; characteristics; irritability

Description

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a cohesinopathy causing delayed growth and limb deficits. Individuals with CdLS have mild to profound intellectual disability and autistic features. This study characterizes the behavioral phenotype of children with CdLS, focusing on autistic features, maladaptive behaviors, and impact of age. Children with CdLS (5-18 years) were administered normed instruments to characterize autism features (Childhood Autism Rating Scale, CARS), maladaptive behaviors (Aberrant Behavior Checklist), and adaptive skills (Vineland Adaptive Behaviors Scales). CdLS features and severity were rated with Diagnostic Criteria for CdLS. Forty-one children with CdLS (23 females, 18 males) were classified as having "no autism" (n=7; 17.1%), "mild autism" (n=17; 41.4%), and "severe autism" (n=17; 41.4%), using CARS scores. Characteristic items were abnormal emotional response, stereotypies, odd object use, rigidity, lack of verbal communication, and low intellectual functioning. Verbal communication deficits and repetitive behaviors were higher compared to sensory, social cognition, and behavior abnormalities (P<0.0001). Maladaptive behaviors associated with autism traits were stereotypies (P=0.003), hyperactivity (P=0.01), and lethargy (P=0.03). Activities of daily living were significantly affected; socialization adaptive skills were a relative strength. However, with advancing age, both socialization (P<0.0001) and communication (P=0.001) domains declined significantly. CdLS is characterized by autistic features, notably excessive repetitive behaviors and expressive language deficits. While other adaptive skills are impacted, socialization adaptive skills are less affected. Advancing age can worsen communication and socialization deficits relative to neurotypical peers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation

Srivastava S; Landy-Schmitt C; Clark B; Kline A D; Specht M; Grados M A, “Autism traits in children and adolescents with Cornelia de Lange syndrome,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 19, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/16812.