Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder most commonly caused by the impaired expression of the maternal "UBE3A" gene on chromosome 15. Though anxiety has been identified as a frequently present characteristic in AS, there are limited studies examining anxiety in this population. Studies of anxiety in other…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fragile X syndrome (FXS) are neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping pragmatic language impairments. Prior work suggests pragmatic language differences may run in families. This study examined specific pragmatic difficulties (i.e., linguistic mazes and perseverations) in boys (9-18 years) with idiopathic…

Despite the potential positive impact of augmentative and alternative communication, the literature suggests that many individuals with disabilities experience barriers in developing communication skills and access to appropriate supports. Parents can provide valuable insight into the barriers and facilitators experienced by their children with…

This study investigated the bidirectional effects of change in maladaptive behaviors among adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and change in their intergenerational family relationships over a 7.5-year period. Indicators of the intergenerational family relationship between premutation carrier mothers and their adolescent or adult…

The neuropsychological profile associated with sex chromosome trisomies (SCT) is frequently characterised by delays or deficits in linguistic development. Although maternal input could have an important role in influencing and shaping the linguistic development of children with SCT, there is a lack of studies in the literature that have…

Cancer databases collect original cancer studies and patient clinical information into one site that allows for global analysis. While many courses focus on cancer, few utilize these powerful cancer databases. Our goal was to create a lab experience in which students could explore original cancer study databases, looking at the expression and…

The aim of the study was to perform family-based association analysis of "PRKCB1," "CBLN1" and "KCNMB4" gene polymorphisms and autism disorder. We comprised 206 Caucasian children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and their biological parents. In transmission/disequilibrium test we observed that T-allele of the…

Adults with Williams syndrome (WS) display hypersocial behaviors and experience social skills deficits. To improve social outcomes, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week distance-delivered social skills program for adults with WS. Sessions were offered twice a week for 90 min. Twenty-four adults with WS…

Past research shows that individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have heightened and prolonged eye contact. Using parent report measures, we examined not only the presence of eye contact but also its qualitative features. Study 1 included individuals with WS (n = 22, ages 6.0-36.3). Study 2 included children with different neurodevelopmental (ND)…

This study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of high school students' errors while solving genetics problems. Four students were asked to solve two genetics problems and participate in a modified think-aloud interview. Data from the interview, video clips of the problem-solving process, and test sheets were used to analyse participants'…

Virtual humans are virtual characters within multimedia learning environments designed to aid the learning process. While there is a large variety of research examining how to design the physical appearance of the character or the teaching strategies it should embody, there is comparatively little work around the design of the narrative the…

Genotype-by-environment interaction (GxE) studies probe heterogeneity in response to risk factors or interventions. Popular methods for estimation of GxE examine multiplicative interactions between individual genetic and environmental measures. However, risk factors and interventions may modulate the total variance of an epidemiological outcome…

Pre- and post-term children show increased autism risk. Little is known about gestational age (GA) prevalence among autistic children, and their respective autism phenotype. We compared prevalence of pre-, full- and post-term birth between a population-derived sample of N = 606 (137 females, 22.61%) autistic children and adolescents (mean age =…

Cell division is one of the most relevant processes in Biology, for instance, to understand the reproduction of species or the development of tumours. Learning this content requires not addressing it out of context but integrating it into real-life problems that demand students apply their knowledge about cell division. In this study, the authors…

Plant awareness disparity (PAD, formerly plant blindness) is the tendency not to notice plants in one's environment, which leads to the perspective that plants are unimportant. In this paper, we explore how plants and animals are represented in introductory biology textbooks to determine if these texts are contributing to PAD in undergraduate…