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Social Anxiety in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

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Abstract

In this study we assessed the behavioral presentation of social anxiety in Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) using a contrast group of Cri du Chat syndrome (CdCS). Behaviors indicative of social anxiety were recorded in twelve children with CdLS (mean age = 11.00; SD = 5.15) and twelve children with CdCS (8.20; SD = 2.86) during social interaction. Lag sequential analysis revealed that participants with CdLS were significantly more likely to evidence behavior indicative of anxiety in close temporal proximity to the point at which they maintained eye contact or spoke. Individuals with CdLS demonstrate a heightened probability of anxiety related behavior during social interaction but only at the point at which social demand is high.

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Notes

  1. The recruitment procedure for the larger study sample is described in detail in Moss et al. (2008).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the individuals who participated in the study, the CdLS Foundation (UK and Ireland) for supporting the research and Lesley Wilkie for her contribution to data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Caroline Richards, Jo Moss, Gurmeash Kaur & Chris Oliver

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK

    Laura O’Farrell

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  1. Caroline Richards
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  2. Jo Moss
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  3. Laura O’Farrell
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  4. Gurmeash Kaur
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  5. Chris Oliver
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Correspondence to Chris Oliver.

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Richards, C., Moss, J., O’Farrell, L. et al. Social Anxiety in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 1155–1162 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0730-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0730-7

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