Social Skills and Intelligence in Young Children with Nf-1

Purpose: The current study investigates the social and intellectual functioning of young children with NF-1. Previous research has largely focused on older children and adults. Background & Significance: Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) is a genetic autosomal dominant genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in 3,000 people. Individuals diagnosed with NF-1 may experience physical symptoms such as café-au-lait spots, and benign tumors located on or just under the skin. In addition to these physical symptoms, individuals with NF-1 may also experience cognitive and behavioral difficulties. A study conducted by Barton and North (2004) found that children with NF-1, between the ages 8-16 years old, had significantly poorer social skills than average on the SSRS-Parent form. The study also found that children with comorbid ADHD and NF-1 received the lowest scores from parents and teachers. Sample and Design: Thirty-five children with NF-1, ages 3-8 years old (M= 5.60, SD= 1.87) and their parents participated in this study. Children included twenty-three males (65.7%) and twelve females (34.3%) and represented an ethnically diverse sample consisting of twenty-four Caucasians, 6 African Americans, 4 Latinos/as, and 1 Asian American. Parents of the children completed The Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS). The Differential Ability Scales (DAS II) was administered to the children to assess intellectual functioning. Method: Intellectual functioning was assessed with the Differential Ability Scales (DAS-II), which yields a General Conceptual Ability (GCA) score similar to an IQ score. Parents completed The Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS). Performance on the DAS-II and SSRS was compared to standardized norms, and the relations between social skills and intellectual functioning were examined. Setting & Description of Team: The study was conducted at UW-Milwaukee through the Child Neurodevelopment Research Laboratory (CNRL) in collaboration with the Neurofibromatosis Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and the Neurofibromatosis Program at the University of Chicago. Graduate and undergraduate students work in the CNRL under the direction of Dr. Klein-Tasman. Results: In general, children with NF1 scored significantly lower than average on the GCA [t (34) =-3.60, p = .001], indicating some cognitive difficulties. No significant difference was detected between participant scores on the SSRS and established norms [t (34) =-1.71, p > .05]. A significant correlation was found between GCA scores and SSRS standard scores, (r=.459, p=0.006). While the majority of participants (20 participants, 57.1%) were rated as average or above when compared to normative data on the SSRS, the number of participants falling below average …