title: Developmental trends of communicative skills in children with chromosome 14 aberrations.
abstract: Children with chromosome 14 aberrations usually show developmental delays, intellectual disability, neurological disorders and behaviour problems. The aim of the present study is to describe the developmental trajectories of the communicative skills of children with chromosome 14 aberrations, considering the possible relationships between the patterns of language development and the children's clinical characteristics (e.g., intellectual disability or autistic traits). Longitudinal data on five children (four with linear deletions and one with ring 14 syndrome) followed for 3 years are presented. Four out of five children showed profound intellectual disability, and three out of five showed autistic traits. A high individual variability was found in both vocal and gestural productions. However, only a modest increase in the children's communicative and symbolic skills was detected over time (e.g., in the quality of preverbal productions).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase of communicative skills in children with chromosome 14 aberration is very slow. We need to consider the children's characteristics, in terms of type of chromosome aberration, level of intellectual disability and presence/absence of autistic traits, to predict their possible linguistic outcomes and to give a more realistic expectation to their parents. What is known: • The communicative skills of children with chromosome 14 aberrations are usually impaired. • The presence of autistic traits is frequent in these children. What is new: • The increase of communicative skills in children with chromosome 14 aberrations is very slow. • The level of intellectual disability and the presence/absence of autistic traits appeared to have a role in predicting the possible linguistic outcomes in children with chromosome 14 aberrations.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy. laura.zampini1@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2207-0179
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zampini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zanchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Medicina Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Berardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Medicina Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Novara
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Medicina Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Orsetta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zuffardi
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14 / Q000235:genetics; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007621:Karyotyping; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012303:Ring Chromosomes
keywords: Autistic traits; Chromosome 14 aberrations; Communication; Intellectual disability; Longitudinal; Ring 14 syndrome