Communicative functioning in individuals with Angelman syndrome: a comparative study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess expressive communication in individuals with Angelman syndrome.


METHODS
Communicative functioning of individuals with Angelman syndrome (AS) (n = 109) was compared with individuals with mixed etiologies (n = 117) using the Verbal Behaviour Assessment Scale (VerBAS).


RESULTS
Within-group analyses of those with AS revealed that the communicative function of manding was significantly more developed than tacting and echoing, and that tacting was significantly more developed than echoing. Low mean total VerBAS-scores were found with individuals who had epilepsy and used anticonvulsant medication, and with those who had profound developmental disabilities. In the comparison group, the function of manding was significantly more developed than both tacting and echoing, while tacting did not differ from echoing. Between-groups analyses revealed that individuals with AS had significantly lower scores on tacting and echoing, but not on manding.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall pattern of VerBAS scores for individuals with AS suggests a possible communicative phenotype.
Didden
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R
Department of Special Education, Radboud University, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.didden@ped.kun.nl
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017204:Angelman Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013195:Stanford-Binet Test; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014705:Verbal Behavior