Adaptive Behavior in School Age Children with Neurofibromatosis-1
Mentor 1
Professor Bonnie Klein Tasman
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder affecting 1 in 3,000 people, and is characterized by attention and learning problems. There has been minimal research regarding adaptive behavior in young children with NF1, and close to none regarding adaptive behavior in school-age children with NF1. The purpose of the current study was to determine how a sample of school age children with NF1 scored on the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB-R), a measure studying adaptive behavior skills, related to their same age peers. The parents of thirty-eight (n=38) school age children with NF1 (age 9-13) completed the SIB-R parent assessment, which assesses broad independence by examining motor skills, social interaction and communication skills, personal living skills, and community living skills. Twenty-four (n=24) of these children with NF1 participated in related research during the preschool years, and as such we also examined how adaptive behavior skills develop through preschool to school-age years. We expect to find that school-age children with NF1 continue to have weaknesses in adaptive behavior in comparison to other children their age, based on comparisons to normative data. We also expect that the difficulties present in preschool children with NF1 will continue in school age children with NF1, specifically regarding motor skills and language expression. We predict that we will find a correlation between IQ and adaptive behavior in school age children with NF1, as a similar correlation was found in preschool children with NF1. Studies regarding adaptive behavior have potential to help better care for and teach children with NF1 and represents a topic that needs to be more broadly explored.
Adaptive Behavior in School Age Children with Neurofibromatosis-1
Union Wisconsin Room
Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder affecting 1 in 3,000 people, and is characterized by attention and learning problems. There has been minimal research regarding adaptive behavior in young children with NF1, and close to none regarding adaptive behavior in school-age children with NF1. The purpose of the current study was to determine how a sample of school age children with NF1 scored on the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB-R), a measure studying adaptive behavior skills, related to their same age peers. The parents of thirty-eight (n=38) school age children with NF1 (age 9-13) completed the SIB-R parent assessment, which assesses broad independence by examining motor skills, social interaction and communication skills, personal living skills, and community living skills. Twenty-four (n=24) of these children with NF1 participated in related research during the preschool years, and as such we also examined how adaptive behavior skills develop through preschool to school-age years. We expect to find that school-age children with NF1 continue to have weaknesses in adaptive behavior in comparison to other children their age, based on comparisons to normative data. We also expect that the difficulties present in preschool children with NF1 will continue in school age children with NF1, specifically regarding motor skills and language expression. We predict that we will find a correlation between IQ and adaptive behavior in school age children with NF1, as a similar correlation was found in preschool children with NF1. Studies regarding adaptive behavior have potential to help better care for and teach children with NF1 and represents a topic that needs to be more broadly explored.
