Early gesture use in fragile X syndrome.
L Rague, K Caravella, B Tonnsen and 2 others
PMID 29781139WHAT IT FOUND
After nonverbal skills were considered, infants with fragile X syndrome did not show a clear difference in gesture count from high-risk siblings or low-risk infants.
Before that, they used fewer gestures at 24 months; growth rates were similar.
Key findings
01When nonverbal skills were included, gesture count at 24 months did not differ significantly between infants with fragile X syndrome and high-risk siblings or low-risk infants.
02At 24 months, infants with fragile X syndrome used fewer gestures than high-risk siblings and low-risk infants.
03In the subset with autism observation scores, higher autism symptom severity was associated with fewer gestures at 24 months in fragile X and high-risk sibling groups, but the association in fragile X was no longer significant when nonverbal skills were included.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small samples, especially the subset with autism observation scores. No developmentally matched comparison group, so low gesture counts may reflect general developmental delay rather than fragile X specifically. Some children may already have received early intervention, so gesture growth may not reflect natural development. The parent gesture questionnaire and autism observation measure overlap, so it is hard to separate gesture use from autism symptom severity. The gesture questionnaire was used outside its usual age range at 24 months, though ceiling scores were low. Autism symptom severity was measured only at 24 months, not at each visit. Groups differed slightly in age and number of visits, and the fragile X group had fewer visits than low-risk infants.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest statement is included in the supplied text. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this study to justify a gesture-focused intervention for fragile X syndrome. It observed development only; it did not test whether increasing gestures changes later communication.