ABERRANT BEHAVIORS OF YOUNG BOYS WITH FRAGILE X-SYNDROME

To determine whether aberrant behaviors described in boys with fragile X syndrome distinguish them from other boys with developmental disabi lities, we asked the primary caregivers of 55 boys with fragile X and 57 matched controls to complete five behavioral questionnaires. Twenty -one items distinguished the groups. Principal components analysis (PC A) yielded five behavioral clusters: abnormal language, tactile defens iveness, poor self-control, poor eye contact/shyness, and hand flappin g. Boys with fragile X were four times more likely to have both tactil e defensiveness and abnormal language. The presence of these abnormal behaviors in boys with developmental delays warrants further assessmen t for fragile X.