The Longitudinal Effects of Parenting on Adaptive Behavior in Children with Fragile X Syndrome.
Steven F Warren, Nancy Brady, Kandace K Fleming and 1 others
PMID 28074357WHAT IT FOUND
In children with fragile X syndrome, more responsive mothers were linked to better growth in communication, socialization, and daily living, and to less decline among children who lost skills.
Behavior management showed little benefit. This is an association, not proof that parent training causes change.
Key findings
01For each 1-point increase in maternal responsivity, children's Vineland communication scores were 2.32 points higher at 30 months and the growth rate was .13 points higher.
02For each 1-point increase in maternal responsivity, socialization scores were 2.00 points higher at 30 months and slopes .03 higher, and daily living scores were 1.47 points higher at 30 months and slopes .08 higher.
03Behavior management was associated with communication slopes decreasing .14 points for each 1-point increase, but it was not significant after autism symptoms and nonverbal skills were added.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is observational and used a convenience sample of 55 children with fragile X syndrome recruited from 28 states, so it cannot show that parenting caused changes in adaptive behavior. Only 53 of the 55 children were followed into middle childhood, and the interval between the third and fourth visits was 30 to 31 months because of a change in project funding. Autism status was based on maternal report of diagnoses made outside the research team, and CARS scores were used as a symptom measure rather than a diagnosis. Mothers were observed in the home with a research assistant present, so their parenting may have been different from ordinary daily parenting. The declines were measured with raw scores, so some apparent declines may be temporary or may look different when converted to age-standard scores. This was the first published study to examine parenting and adaptive behavior declines in fragile X syndrome, and the authors say the findings need replication. Maternal responsivity was defined as specific communication and teaching behaviors, not warmth or affect, so results may not apply to broader parenting programs.
Declared interests
The article states the authors have no conflict of interest. It does not name a funder, though a change in project funding delayed the fourth visit.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that parent training improves adaptive behavior. The study followed children over time and found associations between maternal responsivity and Vineland scores; it did not randomise families to parenting approaches, and the authors say the findings need replication.