A CHILD WITH XYY-SYNDROME AS SEEN BY HIS MOTHER - NOTES FROM A DIARY

A mother's experiencing of the development of her son with <<XYY syndr ome>> is presented based on notes from the mother's diary. According t o recent findings in unselected longitudinal studies the boy clearly b elonged to a subgroup of the more severely affected children. His deve lopmental language and motor delays, other language problems and probl ems at school were typical, whereas his slightly reduced IQ, in the lo wer normal range, and aggressive and autistic symptoms were atypical. In many ways the mother's experience is comparable to that of parents of mentally retarded children. Complicating factors were the inconspic uous phenotype, late diagnosis and lack of prefessional help. It is sh own that parental adaptation to a <<handicapped>> child can occur in p hases. These can be understood through models of mourning or coping. I t would be of great help to these families if self-help groups would b e established.