An examination of language and nonverbal abilities in twins with Apert syndrome

Abstract

Background: Apert syndrome is a rare genetic syndrome that is usually associated with intellectual disability. There is still limited knowledge about the syndrome's cognitive-linguistic characteristics. Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the language and nonverbal abilities of two children (twins) with Apert syndrome aged 8.6 years, and to examine whether their scores on the language and nonverbal measurements fall within the average range. The Λ-α-Τ-ω, a psychometric instrument that measures language competence, the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability and the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices were used for assessment purposes. Results: According to the results, both children failed to give correct responses on the subtests measuring the phonological aspect of language. Moreover, the performances of both children on the nonverbal abilities measures tended to be below average. Conclusions: The need for additional studies to identify the cognitive-linguistic strengths and weaknesses related to the specific syndrome is underlined. Research-based knowledge on the behavioral phenotype and the phenotypic, in general, characteristics of this syndrome could lead to better intervention planning. © 2016 by De Gruyter.