Language use in females with fragile X or Turner syndrome during brief initial social interactions.
Fragile X and Turner syndromes are associated with risk of atypical social function. We examined language use, including normal and atypical speech, during initial social interactions among participants engaged in a brief social role play with an unfamiliar adult. There were 27 participants with Turner syndrome, 20 with fragile X syndrome and 28 in an age-matched comparison group. Females with fragile X did not exhibit more abnormal language, but exhibited less of what is typical during initial interactions. Overall rates of dysfluencies did not differ, although females with fragile X made more phrase repetitions. Females with Turner syndrome had no language use abnormalities. Our findings suggest that language use may influence social function in females with fragile X syndrome and that such language characteristics may be observed in the context of brief encounters with an unfamiliar adult.
Mazzocco
Michèle M M
MM
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute, KKI West Campus, 3825 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA. mazzocco@kennedykrieger.org
Thompson
Laurie
L
Sudhalter
Vicki
V
Belser
Richard C
RC
Lesniak-Karpiak
Katarzyna
K
Ross
Judith L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005600:Fragile X Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007807:Language Tests; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D012381:Role Playing; D014424:Turner Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior