Interrelationship Between Cognitive Control, Anxiety, and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Children with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.
Mirko Uljarević, Kathryn L McCabe, Kathleen Angkustsiri and 2 others
PMID 31433576WHAT IT FOUND
In 38 individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, parent-reported executive functioning score was the only measure still linked to restricted and repetitive behaviors after anxiety and social communication were considered.
Key findings
01Executive functioning score was the unique independent predictor of restricted and repetitive behavior scores in the final model, while anxiety was no longer an independent predictor after executive functioning was added.
02In 38 individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, restricted and repetitive behavior scores were significantly associated with anxiety, executive functioning, and social and communication scores.
03Restricted and repetitive behavior scores were not significantly associated with age, sex, or full-scale IQ.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 38 participants, and the authors described the findings as preliminary. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether anxiety or executive functioning caused restricted and repetitive behaviors, or whether the behaviors affected anxiety or executive functioning. The SCQ gave a total restricted and repetitive behavior score rather than separate domains such as repetitive motor behavior and insistence on sameness, which may have different associations. Participants were recruited through a university institute, online discussion groups, foundation newsletters, and word of mouth, so the sample may not represent all individuals with 22q11.2DS.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating anxiety or executive functioning will reduce restricted and repetitive behaviors. This was a small cross-sectional pilot, so it shows associations rather than a tested treatment effect.