Social Skills in School-Age Children with Neurofibromatosis type 1
Mentor 1
Bonita P. Klein-Tasman
Mentor 2
Danielle M. Glad
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
Neurofibromatosis type one (NF1) is a disorder caused by a mutation of the NF1 gene on chromosome 17, a gene that suppresses the growth of tumors. This mutation in the NF1 gene leads to a predisposition in developing a variety of tumors, both malignant and benign. NF1 is characterized by café-au-lait spots, pigmented birthmarks aptly named "coffee with milk” after their light brown color, freckling in the inguinal or axillary regions, and neurofibromas, among a myriad of other symptoms (NIH, 1988). Children with NF1 frequently experience social and behavioral problems; specifically, they exhibit poorer social skills than their peers (Barton & North, 2004). The purpose of the current study is to examine social functioning and several social skills including communication, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, engagement, and self-control. Participants were forty children with NF1 (22 boys, 18 girls), ranging in age from 9-13 years (M = 10.9 years). The Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Parent Form and Teacher Form was given to assess overall social functioning, based on parent and teacher reports. Frequencies of difficulties on each of the social subscales and overall level of social functioning will be examined. More explicitly, the number of children who fall in the below average range, average range, and above average, will be examined, as well as overall standard scores. It is expected that the children with NF1 will display below average scores, which would be suggestive of social difficulties.
Social Skills in School-Age Children with Neurofibromatosis type 1
Union Wisconsin Room
Neurofibromatosis type one (NF1) is a disorder caused by a mutation of the NF1 gene on chromosome 17, a gene that suppresses the growth of tumors. This mutation in the NF1 gene leads to a predisposition in developing a variety of tumors, both malignant and benign. NF1 is characterized by café-au-lait spots, pigmented birthmarks aptly named "coffee with milk” after their light brown color, freckling in the inguinal or axillary regions, and neurofibromas, among a myriad of other symptoms (NIH, 1988). Children with NF1 frequently experience social and behavioral problems; specifically, they exhibit poorer social skills than their peers (Barton & North, 2004). The purpose of the current study is to examine social functioning and several social skills including communication, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, engagement, and self-control. Participants were forty children with NF1 (22 boys, 18 girls), ranging in age from 9-13 years (M = 10.9 years). The Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Parent Form and Teacher Form was given to assess overall social functioning, based on parent and teacher reports. Frequencies of difficulties on each of the social subscales and overall level of social functioning will be examined. More explicitly, the number of children who fall in the below average range, average range, and above average, will be examined, as well as overall standard scores. It is expected that the children with NF1 will display below average scores, which would be suggestive of social difficulties.
