THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF CRI DU CHAT SYNDROME WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT LEARNING-DISABILITY

The clinical picture typically asociated with cri du chat syndrome is one of profound intellectual impairment, severe motor delay and increa sed morbidity. In contrast to this picture, the present case report de scribes the cognitive acid behavioural profile of a young female with cri du chat syndrome who displays no evidence of severe learning disab ility. Cognitive performance indicated good verbal skills with specifi c strengths on those tasks that require the ability to store and retri eve verbal information in comparison to poor non-verbal, spatial skill s and weaknesses on those tasks that require multi-step manipulation o f spatial stimuli and the ability to form whole percepts from fragment ary parts. The finding underlies the importance of assessing the wide range of cognitive potential of individuals with cri du chat syndrome.