Teaching Math Skills to Individuals With Fragile X Syndrome

Evaluating a Brief Intensive Intervention for Individuals With Fragile X Syndrome

Children with FXS are predisposed to manifesting a particular profile of intellectual strengths and weaknesses, including specific deficits in math, visual-spatial skills, executive functioning, and social skills. Until now, intensive behavioral interventions have not been targeted to syndrome-specific weaknesses. In the present study we will develop and evaluate behavioral strategies to aid skill acquisition in children with FXS.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Developmental Disabilities; Fragile X Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: discrete-trial training

Detailed Description

There are no experimental data of skill acquisition using matching-to-sample techniques (or any other specific cognitive intervention) conducted with individuals with FXS. Further, no studies have been conducted to examine the possible underlying or mediating brain processes involved during matching-to-sample skill acquisition in children with FXS or any other neurodevelopmental disorder.

Previous pilot data have indicated that the computerized match-to-sample procedure, even when conducted in time-limited sessions, may significantly help individuals with FXS learn new skills. We plan to utilize brain imaging methodology to compare functional connectivity networks for those who pass and those who fail the equivalence test. 30 subjects with FXS and 30 control subjects with idiopathic developmental disability will be enrolled in the study. All subjects will be enrolled at Stanford.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
      • Stanford University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 23 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• (a) 10 to 23 years of age (this age range was chosen to maximize the probability that subjects will cooperate with the imaging procedures as well as benefit from the interventions),
• (b) in good physical health,
• (c) able to participate in the imaging component of the project,
• (d) IQ between 50 and 80. We have found that individuals with IQ's less than 50 points are generally unable to comply with the scanning procedures.
• (e) diagnosis of FXS (for FXS group) and non-specific developmental disorder (for control group).

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion criteria include

• contraindications for MRI (e.g., pacemaker, braces),
• the presence of neurological or sensory problems not associated with the conditions of interest (e.g., head trauma, blindness), or inability to discontinue psychotropic medication for 4 weeks prior to the scan.
• Additional exclusion criteria for the control group include the presence of any known identifiable syndrome (e.g., fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, PKU, fetal alcohol syndrome, Williams syndrome).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Math intervention	Behavioral: discrete-trial training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Percent correct	2 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Scott Hall, Stanford University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): September 17, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 9, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2019
• Last Verified: May 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Disease; Congenital Abnormalities; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked; Mental Retardation, X-Linked; Intellectual Disability; Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Chromosome Disorders; Sex Chromosome Disorders; Syndrome; Fragile X Syndrome; Developmental Disabilities
• Other Study ID Numbers: SU-09132010-6849